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How To Make Indian Restaurant Curry Sauce

December 31, 2013 By Dan Toombs 378 Comments

This curry house style base curry sauce will get you the results you’re looking for!

Visit the kitchen of any busy curry house and you are almost certain to see a large saucepan of curry sauce/gravy simmering away on the stove. This sauce is used as a base for most of the restaurant’s curries.

Each restaurant has their own special recipe but they are usually quite similar. The base sauce makes it possible for chefs to cook, plate and serve many different curries quickly and easily.

This smooth base curry sauce is just one of the things that give British Indian restaurant (BIR) style curries their distinctive flavour and texture that is loved by so many.

Curry House style curry gravy

Large batches of curry sauce are made daily at Indian restaurants around the UK.

Why use a base sauce?

The answer to this question is simple. It’s the only way you will achieve curry house style curries at home.

Cooking curries in a more authentic Indian style works but the end dish is different. Curry house style curries are famous for their smooth texture which is achieved using the base curry sauce.

How was the base curry sauce developed?

The base sauce was developed over time. Chefs at inexpensive curry houses needed a way of cooking and serving their curries fast, while not losing out on flavour.

Cooking the curries in a more authentic and traditional way just wouldn’t be possible in most restaurants as it would be too labour intensive, overly time consuming and not cost effective.

By using this convenient sauce, which is made at restaurants fresh, daily, the chefs can cook a curry in about ten minutes.

That’s why you can expect to pay a lot less at a curry house than one of the more upmarket Indian restaurants.

What exactly is the base curry sauce?

I like to describe the base curry sauce as a fancy vegetable stock. It doesn’t have a lot of flavour though it does taste good.

Add some chicken, cumin, garam masala, a large heap or two of chili powder, mango chutney and a few other ingredients and you’ve got yourself a chicken madras.

Keep the chilli powder to a minimum and add some cream, block coconut, rose water and a dusting of cardamom powder and voila… a fragrant chicken korma.

Can I see what the difference is between a curry made with base curry sauce and one made without?

The best way to compare is to make the same curry twice. Make one with the base sauce and make the other using more traditional methods.

Below I have a couple of examples for you.

chicken balti

Chicken balti made without base sauce.

The chicken Balti above was made using authentic cooking methods. You can try the recipe here.

It was delicious but a lot different to one made with a base sauce, using what are otherwise the same ingredients.

chicken balti

Chicken Balti cooked with base sauce. This is by far my favourite version.

Above is an authentic balti using a base sauce. As you can see, the colour and texture of the sauce are different. I have to say, it tastes a lot better too.

How to store the base curry sauce

Although I do have smaller recipes for base curry sauce, I always recommend making this large batch, just like they do at most curry houses.

The finished base sauce can be stored in the fridge for at least three days and it freezes very well.

When you first blend the sauce. it will be quite thick. This is the best time to portion it out and freeze it.

To use in your curries, however, the sauce needs to be diluted with water or stock until it is quite thin like full fat milk or single cream.

Unlike water or stock, the base sauce cooks down and becomes thick quite quickly when used in a curry. There are so many vegetables in it.

What size containers should I freeze the base sauce in?

That’s really up to you and how you wish to use it.

Most of the recipe in my books and on this blog that call for base curry sauce serve 4. These recipe call for anything between 500ml (2 cups) and 700ml (2 3/4 cups) of base sauce. That’s the diluted sauce!

So if you want to have enough sauce to cook a curry for four at the ready, I recommend freezing the sauce, before diluting it in portions of 350ml (1 3/4 cups).

That said, I also have a lot of recipes for curry house portions of my recipes on this site. These call for between 250ml and 300ml of base sauce and serve 1 – 2 people.

If you are just going to be cooking for yourself or one other person, you could try them here.

What sort of containers shall I use to freeze the sauce in?

I often use air-tight plastic containers. They are handy and easy.

If you are limited on freezer space, try using freezer bags.

Add the sauce in the amount you wish to a freezer bag and seal it. Then flatten it out. You can then stack them in your freezer to use as needed.

Be sure to heat the base sauce up before using.

You need to defrost and then heat the base sauce up before using in your curries.

You don’t want to add cold base sauce to your curries while cooking as it will cool the pan down too much.

Just heat it up in a pan next to where you are cooking your curry and add as required.

The amount of base sauce I used in your recipe was more/less than called for. Why is this?

At busy curry houses, the chef doesn’t use exact measures of base sauce.

If the curry is looking too dry, he will add more base sauce.

If it is looking to sauces, he will just cook it down to his preferred consistency.

Please use the suggested measures of base sauce as a guide. They are not in stone as many different things such as the heat of your pan and how many ingredients are in the pan can affect the amount of sauce you will need.

Stay tuned for all the upcoming recipes. Together with this sauce you will be able to create curries better than you’ll find at most restaurants. I guarantee it!

Here are a few curry house style recipes you can use this sauce in now!

Try my Chicken Tikka Masala recipe from my cookbook ‘The Curry Guy’
Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken Korma
Chicken Madras
Chicken Dhansak
Lamb Rogan Josh
Lamb Vindaloo
Chicken Chilli Garlic
Chicken Patia
Lamb Bhuna

I have now filmed two videos for you to follow. These are slightly different recipes to the one below but they are the recipes featured in my cookbook ‘The Curry Guy’ which you can order online here.

Of course you could always use my small batch version, but if you really want to achieve that authentic curry house and/or balti house flavour, you’ve got to go large.

Note: In the photographs below you will find two photos demonstrating adding ghee to this recipe. These are photos from an earlier version of this recipe.

It is done at many restaurants but I no longer add it. It is tasty though. Simply melt 250ml ghee and add about a tsp turmeric as in the photos. Pour this over the sauce and stir it in. This is of course optional but many chefs do it.

Making BIR curry sauce

Check out this photo and copy it. Your sauce will be perfect. Only use about half of the cabbage. Any cabbage will do.

Making curry sauce

Fry your onions over low heat in the hot oil for about 30 minutes.

Making BIR curry sauce

Your onions should look like this when you add the next ingredients.

Making BIR curry sauce

The spices – cumin, coriander, garam masala, fenugreek and turmeric

Making BIR curry sauce

Toss in the rest of your vegetables and stir into the onions.

Making BIR curry sauce

Add the garlic and ginger and stir it in.

Does it matter which order you add the ingredients?

Not really. I tend to add them as you see above so that I can fry the onions first. It is after all an onion base.

Other than that, just throw everything in the pot. That’s what they do at busy curry houses.

 

Making BIR curry sauce

Now stir in the tomatoes

Making BIR curry sauce

In go the spices except for the turmeric

Making BIR curry sauce

It’s coming along just perfectly.

Making BIR curry sauce

Add enough boiling water to cover and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes.

Making BIR curry sauce

Time to blend.

Making BIR curry sauce

After about three minutes of blending, the base curry sauce should look like this.

How smooth should I blend the sauce?

That depends on what you are using to blend it.

I usually use a hand held blender which takes about three to four minutes to blend until silky smooth. That’s what you want.

I have also use a Nutri-bullet which is a lot quicker but you have to transfer all that sauce to it. That can be a bit fussy. Go for a hand held blender if you have one. 

Making BIr curry sauce

In another pan, melt your ghee and then add the turmeric.

Making BIR curry sauce

Add the turmeric and ghee to the sauce and stir in.

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One thing I get asked often is whether or not you have to use a base curry sauce in your curry house style curries. The answer is yes if you want your curries to be just like you get them at your favourite restaurant.

That said, if you just want a good curry and don’t have time to whip up a batch of base curry sauce, you could do it the authentic Indian way. Finely chop two to three onions and fry them in about 3 tablespoons of oil.

Fry until the onions are soft and translucent. This should take about five minutes.

Then just follow any of the curry house style recipes on my website and add water, stock or chopped tomatoes to create a sauce. You really can’t go wrong. Taste as you go and your curry, though not just like those you find at curry houses will be delicious.

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So are you ready to get started?

It takes some time to make but this base curry gravy is so convenient to have on hand!

How To Make Indian Restaurant Curry Sauce

Instant base sauce

Take some time to make this base curry sauce. Once it's made and you have it on hand, you can whip up all your favourite curry house style curries in minutes! From the mildest korma to the spiciest phaal, this is the base you need to make them just like you get at Indian restaurants.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 10 large cooking onions – finely sliced
  • 250ml vegetable oil
  • 9 tablespoons garlic/ginger paste (equal amounts garlic and ginger blended into a paste with a little water.)
  • 1 carrot - peeled and chopped
  • ¼ head of cabbage - chopped
  • 1 red capsicum (bell pepper) - diced
  • 1 green capsicum (bell pepper) - diced
  • water
  • 400ml (14 US fluid ounces ) chopped tomatoes
  • 4 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin powder
  • 1 tablespoon coriander powder
  • 1 tablespoon fenugreek powder
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • Salt and pepper to taste (I usually leave this out and simply add it to the final dish)

Instructions

  1. Pour the oil into a large heavy bottomed saucepan and heat over medium high heat until bubbling.
  2. Throw in the sliced onions and fry, stirring regularly for about 20 minutes until the onions are soft, lightly browned and translucent.
  3. Add the capsicums (bell peppers), carrot and cabbage and stir to combine.
  4. Fry for a further five minutes and then add the ginger and garlic purees and the all of the spices except for the turmeric.
  5. Now add the tomatoes and just enough water (about 2 cups/ 500ml) to cover the vegetables and simmer for about half an hour.
  6. After 30 minutes, remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
  7. Scoop the mixture in batches into a blender and blend until silky smooth. I usually do this for about three minutes per batch. If you have a hand held blender, this stage will be much easier.
  8. Once your sauce is smooth, melt the ghee in a frying pan. Add the turmeric powder to the ghee. It will darken as it cooks. You want to brown it for about 30 seconds being careful not to burn the turmeric.
  9. Now add the turmeric/ghee mixture to the sauce and bring to a simmer again.
  10. Once it is bubbling away, turn down the heat and simmer for a further 20 to 30 minutes
  11. Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to three days or freeze in 750ml (3 cups) portions for up to three months.

Notes

This base sauce freezes really well. It is great to have on hand for that last minute curry craving.

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Cuisine: Indian / Category: Restaurant Style Curries

Filed Under: Favourites, Restaurant Style Curries

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Comments

  1. Ed says

    July 29, 2014 at 8:19 pm

    Hi Dan,

    After exhausting our first lot of this, ust made a double batch, ready for anything!

    Been scouting through the website for recipes I can cook up with this and found plenty, and thought it would be cool if there was a link for stuff you can do from this base gravy directly? Because I’ve got a big pot of sauce and lots of hungry friends!

    Keep up the good work,
    Ed

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 8, 2014 at 12:09 pm

      Thank you Ed. Good idea. I’ll work on that.

      Dan

      Reply
      • Yve says

        August 7, 2016 at 3:21 am

        Hi Dan,

        I am trying your Chicken Madras curry recipe and just want to confirm that I don’t need any curry in the base curry sauce (large batch) ?

        Thank you very much,

        Yve

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          August 9, 2016 at 6:21 pm

          Hi Yve

          Sorry but I don’t understand your question. If you are asking if you need to use the base curry sauce, you do. It’s easy to make. 🙂

          Cheers,
          Dan

          Reply
          • Ben says

            September 10, 2016 at 2:42 pm

            To clarify for people like me who were similarly confused, you can purchase a “Red Curry Powder” spice off the shelf at many grocery stores. I have one on my shelf, and was similarly confused why you didn’t include it in your ingredient list, until I checked the ingredients of my “Red Curry Powder” spice, which are Coriander, Cumin, Chilli Pepper, Red Pepper and Cardamom. So your recipe has Coriander and Cumin, along with “Garam Masala” (which I also have on my shelf) whose ingredients are Coriander, Black Pepper, Cumin, Cardamom and Cinnamon.

            So I think the OP was asking about “Red Curry Powder”, which your recipe creates from more basic ingredients.

      • Lorna says

        October 9, 2016 at 7:25 pm

        Thanks for this lovely recipe it was delicious x Made my family a curry for tea and they said it was the best ever!! Easy to make and excellent taste, thanks for sharing.

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          October 11, 2016 at 12:19 pm

          Thank you very much Lorna. I’m really glad you liked the recipe.

          Dan

          Reply
      • Steve Ashdown says

        September 30, 2017 at 12:57 pm

        Hi Dan.
        Haven’t done this yet. But just a quick question. Can you use Rapeseed oil instead of Ghee when it comes to the Turmeric stage?
        Thanks
        Steve.

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          October 13, 2017 at 8:22 am

          Hi Steve

          You sure can. No problem.

          Thanks,
          Dan

          Reply
      • Steve says

        November 3, 2017 at 9:13 pm

        Hi dan when you say 10 large onions what would that be in say pounds

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          February 5, 2018 at 7:07 pm

          Hi Steve

          No idea I’m afraid. Just use ten onions slightly larger than tennis balls and you should be fine to go.

          Dan

          Reply
      • dave says

        April 8, 2018 at 3:46 pm

        i once did deliveries for a indian restaurant / takeaway and they used the base gravy for just about any liquid for almost any curry,

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          April 30, 2018 at 6:36 am

          Hi Dave

          That’s how it’s done. The gravy is great to have on hand.

          Thanks,
          Dan

          Reply
      • Nicholas Cusack says

        October 15, 2018 at 10:23 pm

        Hi ,
        The video and writtwn recipe are different.
        In the video . It states 750ml of oil where the written is 250. Also the end of the sauce in the video is halved. One half being frozen , the remaining topped with water and blended. Is thatbthe final curry base?
        Cheers.
        Nick

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          October 18, 2018 at 10:30 am

          There is no final base sauce Nicholas. I have a lot of them but they are all quite similar. 🙂

          Reply
      • MinnJimm says

        May 3, 2019 at 2:53 pm

        Question on Base sauce:
        In your book and in you online recipe there is no mention of, after blending, freeze half (great idea) and then replace with water.

        When you later thaw the frozen portion do you need to add equal amount of water (as you did in your video?

        Thanks in advance

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          May 29, 2019 at 12:57 pm

          I’m not sure I understand your question. I freeze my base sauce before adding water or stock. This saves freezer space. To use the base sauce in a curry, it needs to be diluted with water or stock until it is about the same consistency as full fat milk.
          Hope this helps.
          Dan

          Reply
    • Stephen says

      July 2, 2016 at 10:51 am

      Looks like no-one else has found your ingredient list ambiguous – except me!
      Please clarify (no pun intended):
      Is it 9 tablespoons of garlic puree PLUS 9 tablespoons of ginger puree. OR 9 tablespoons of an equal quantities mix of both.
      Thanks,
      Stephen.

      Reply
      • Dan Toombs says

        July 8, 2016 at 9:06 am

        Hi Stephen

        It is a garlic/ginger paste. Hope this help. Just nine tablespoons garlic/ginger paste.

        Thanks
        Dan

        Reply
        • brian nicholls says

          July 18, 2016 at 3:26 pm

          dan you didnt make it clear about the garlic/ginger, is it 9 tbls of each or 4 1/2 tbls of each, it looks like 9 tbls of each which seems a lot of ginger

          Reply
          • Dan Toombs says

            July 26, 2016 at 7:29 am

            Hi Brian

            I have tried so hard to make this clear but always get asked. It is 9 tablespoon TOTAL. A mix of garlic and ginger paste. Hope this helps.

            Dan

          • tony says

            November 18, 2018 at 5:57 pm

            4 and a half of each

      • Anneliese says

        February 21, 2021 at 6:26 am

        Stephen, Indian groceries sell something called ginger garlic paste. You can make your own from equal parts of ginger and garlic and blend to a paste with water.

        Reply
    • Richard Webb says

      January 27, 2020 at 7:14 pm

      Dan
      You didn’t answer the question about the oil. I’m making the base sauce from the (red) book and it says use 750ml (3 cups) of rapeseed oil and that’s what’s cooking. When I look here it says 250ml which is one cup.
      I accept it’s skimmed off later but what amount should I be using please??

      Reply
      • Dan Toombs says

        January 27, 2020 at 8:41 pm

        Sorry Richard – I must have missed your question. I don’t see it. I do both. You could just use 250ml and you will have a lot less flavoured oil to use. I usually use more and then use that in my curries. You could even use a lot less than 250ml which I do in my next book ‘The Curry Guy Light’. Thanks, Dan

        Reply
        • Richard Webb says

          January 31, 2020 at 2:24 pm

          Thanks Dan.

          Reply
  2. Jo says

    September 13, 2014 at 7:22 pm

    Have made this curry sauce and followed it up with Jalfrezi. It was delicious. The only negative is the amount of ginger but that’s a personal preference. I will use less next time. Great website. Hoping there are more curries to come using the premade sauce.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      September 19, 2014 at 8:06 am

      Hi Jo

      Thank you. I have lots more recipe using the sauce on the way. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  3. Graham says

    October 4, 2014 at 12:43 pm

    Going to try and make this over the weekend, just one question, does it matter what type of cabbage you can use ?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 8, 2014 at 9:12 am

      Hi Graham

      Any cabbage will do just fine. Try to find the freshest available.

      Cheers
      Dan

      Reply
  4. Dave says

    October 9, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    Hi, how exactly do you make the garlic and ginger pastes? Do you add a liquid? Can I use just grated garlic and ginger? Thanks

    Reply
    • natalia says

      March 17, 2015 at 5:19 pm

      Often one buys minced garlic and minced ginger in jars at the Indian food store, this might be what he meant.

      It would work perfectly fine to grate or food process the garlic and ginger… as long as you get them fine.

      Reply
      • Debbie says

        January 31, 2016 at 9:23 pm

        I found several different brands of both garlic and ginger paste at an Indian grocery.

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          February 24, 2016 at 2:26 pm

          Hi Debbie

          There are quite a few. Always best to make your own though. I find commercial brands to vinegary.

          Cheers
          Dan

          Reply
          • Frank campbell says

            September 20, 2016 at 7:15 am

            Me too,always best done fresh.thank you for your sauce mix I’ve been doing my own for some years now but this is now my new recipe.

          • Dan Toombs says

            September 21, 2016 at 10:18 am

            Thanks Frank. Great to hear.

            Dan

  5. Mark says

    October 10, 2014 at 3:32 pm

    I’ve tried this recipe twice now, and it works! The second time, I put it in the blender and passed it through a sieve. Much smoother. Great curry! Thanks.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 8, 2014 at 8:57 am

      Thanks Mark

      Really glad you liked the recipe. Passing it through a seive is a good idea.

      Cheers
      Dan

      Reply
  6. Michelle says

    October 22, 2014 at 7:59 am

    Roughly how many servings does this make?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 25, 2014 at 7:45 am

      Hi Michelle

      Very roughly enough for about eight curries that serve four.

      Dan

      Reply
      • Thomas says

        December 6, 2015 at 12:48 pm

        We must have done something wrong then. Ended up with enough for 3 recipies, not 8. Probably boiled out all the water or something accidently.

        The saagwala we made with it was quite tasty though!

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          December 9, 2015 at 1:54 pm

          Hi Thomas

          I’ll check that. Generally speaking, you get one (one person) curry per onion added. Sometimes I make a huge batch with 30. With this recipe, you should get about three to four curries that serve four.

          Thanks
          Dan

          Reply
      • Janet says

        February 19, 2018 at 9:57 am

        So 32 portions?

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          April 30, 2018 at 1:20 pm

          Roughly. 🙂

          Dan

          Reply
  7. Stephen says

    October 30, 2014 at 1:46 pm

    Hi Dan,

    Cooked this on Tuesday night, when I added the Turmeric even the smell made me realise it was going to be a winner. Tried it with Garlic Chicken, the best Indian I have made at home by far. I have your ebook on my kindle which died- do you have any plans for a printed version and secondly I’ve looked at a few recipes now and can’t find any that use the base curry. Could you point me in the right direction? God Bless, Stephen

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 8, 2014 at 8:29 am

      Hi Stephen

      I’m really glad you like the recipe. My blog is being updated so that there are more recipes that use the curry sauce. I had to remove many of the recipes so that I could have them in the ebook. You will notice that many of my recipes call for fried onions at the beginning of cooking. This takes up a lot of time. Rather than slowly frying the onion, use a ladle full or two of the curry sauce. You’ll love the result.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  8. irene says

    December 4, 2014 at 9:41 pm

    Hi Dan
    what recipies can I use this for? I cant find where they are and I just want to make this

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 13, 2015 at 8:16 am

      Hi Irene

      There are a few recipe on my site that use it but my book has them all. Here is the link. http://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Indian-Restaurant-Style-Meals-ebook/dp/B0096X3S4M

      Thank you.
      Dan

      Reply
  9. irene says

    December 6, 2014 at 12:17 pm

    Hi Dan
    I want to make this but cant find a recipe to try. Can you help please

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 13, 2015 at 8:12 am

      Hi Irene

      This base sauce is for Indian restaurant style curries. It can be used in my BIR recipes. Check out the Restaurant curry section.

      Thank you.
      Dan

      Reply
  10. Mandy says

    December 23, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Hi, could you please tell me what size stainless steel cooking pot I need to buy to accommodate all the ingredients to make the large batch curry gravy. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 5, 2015 at 1:31 pm

      Hi Mandy

      I use a ten litre pot. You could adjust the recipe though an use a smaller pot if necessary. Thanks.
      Dan

      Reply
  11. Kim says

    January 25, 2015 at 1:16 pm

    Dear Dan

    I’ve just made your Restaurant Style Large Batch of Curry Sauce and I wanted to let you know that it came out perfectly. It’s absolutely delicious and I intend to make the Madras Curry with it. I shall never buy a jar again!!

    I have a kindle so I shall be downloading your recipe book.

    Kind Regards
    Kim

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 5, 2015 at 1:28 pm

      Hi Kim. Thank you very much. Really glad you enjoyed the recipe. Hope you enjoy my ebook.

      Dan

      Reply
  12. Paula says

    February 2, 2015 at 12:47 pm

    Thanks
    I can’t wait to try this, I am going to buy your book on amazon tonight. How long can I keep it in the freezer for?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 9, 2015 at 12:36 pm

      Hi Paula

      Thank you very much. The sauce should keep in the freezer for at least three months without losing much flavour. Be sure to heat it up though before adding to your curries.

      Dan

      Reply
  13. Jane says

    February 3, 2015 at 7:17 am

    I want to order some curries now are you. Open. What are your. Hours please. Reply straight back

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 9, 2015 at 12:35 pm

      I Jane. No restaurant yet. Maybe someday. 🙂

      Thanks.
      Dan

      Reply
  14. Craig says

    February 5, 2015 at 4:42 pm

    I;ve tried to cook good curries at home for many years, but always try to make them as healthy as possible. I’ve decided to give up on that and try to make the best curry I can, and going to try your recipes. Hard you got a hard copy booked out as yet?

    Cheers

    Craig

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 9, 2015 at 12:34 pm

      Hi Craig

      Thank you. I don’t have a hard copy yet. Maybe someday. I need to convince a publisher first. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  15. Lee says

    February 21, 2015 at 12:14 pm

    I just made this to freeze. it makes loads! But i tasted the sauce and found it very bland. Hope i didn’t do anything wrong. Followed the recipe exact. Does it taste better when added to the Jalfrezi receipe for example?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 5, 2015 at 1:22 pm

      Hi Lee

      It should be quite bland as it is used to make different curries, spicy and mild. I look at it as a vegetable stock. It add flavour but the real flavour comes when you add the spices and other ingredients to make your curry.

      Dan

      Reply
  16. Jesper says

    March 22, 2015 at 10:30 pm

    Hey great recipe tried it with jalfrazi yesterday and it was great!
    Im just wondering what kind of cabbage you should use?
    I live in sweden and i translated it to white cabbage so thats what i used.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 13, 2015 at 8:38 am

      Hi Jesper

      Thank you for your questions. White cabbage will be fine. The cabbage doesn’t add a lot of flavour so any cabbage will do.

      Dan

      Reply
  17. Nick bailey says

    March 23, 2015 at 1:28 pm

    Hi there i have made your curry base mix this weekend, i have clicked onto the korma link but is showing webpage error i was wondering could you repost the chicken korma recipe using the base sauce. Many thanks

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 13, 2015 at 8:34 am

      Hi Nick

      Not sure what happened there. The site had a lot of traffic over the weekend so perhaps that was the problem. The link is definitely working now.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  18. Joanne Bartoszewski says

    March 25, 2015 at 11:13 am

    Can u use vegetable oil instead of ghee

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 5, 2015 at 1:46 pm

      Hi Joanne

      Definitely. Many Indian restaurant chefs use oil instead of ghee. Good luck.

      Dan

      Reply
  19. Gary says

    April 6, 2015 at 11:39 am

    Hi Dan
    Followed the recipe for the small batch. But I don’t get the red colour of your samples in the finished sauce I make.. any suggestions??? Where I’m going wrong?
    Cheers
    Gary

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 13, 2015 at 8:27 am

      Hi Gary

      It should be more of an orange colour. The tomatoes and tomato paste do give it some red colour but mine does usually end up quite orange. Red colouring in curries usually comes from red food colouring which is not necessary in this recipe. Hope this helps.

      Dan

      Reply
  20. Jared says

    April 9, 2015 at 11:39 am

    Hey Dan,

    Do you think this sauce could be stored in Jars?

    Reply
  21. Ian says

    April 9, 2015 at 11:46 am

    Is it 9 tablespoons of ginger and garlic paste together, or 9 or ginger paste and 9 or garlic paste? Also, what exactly is garlic/ginger paste?
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 13, 2015 at 8:25 am

      Hi Ian

      Garlic and ginger paste is equal amounts of garlic and ginger blended together with a little water into a paste. I do have a post on my site and will try to make this more clear in future. Thanks.

      The recipe calls for 9 tablespoons of garlic and ginger paste (garlic and ginger together). It sounds like a lot but it is needed.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
      • Martin says

        August 16, 2015 at 5:24 pm

        Hi, I’m trying to figure out exactly how much in grams of ginger and cloves or bulbs of garlic to use in either total or tablespoon… Can you help me as I don’t want to mess it up. Cheers

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          October 4, 2015 at 8:42 am

          Hi Martin

          Thanks for your question. It really isn’t a major thing. I’m not sure about the grams but in Indian restaurant kitchens they simply spoon it in. Unlike baking, there is no real science to this. Just experiment, check out my photos and have fun.

          Dan

          Reply
          • Chris h says

            October 4, 2016 at 5:36 pm

            I don’t get how ppl are not getting this. It’s 9 tablespoons in total of garlic and ginger paste.

            Going to make your base soon. Can’t wait.

            You are the man sir.

            Very detailed explanations. Thanks very much.

          • Dan Toombs says

            October 6, 2016 at 7:14 pm

            Hi Chris

            Thanks for stopping by. Hope you get to try the recipe soon. Much appreciated.

            Cheers,
            Dan

      • Deb=nise says

        March 30, 2016 at 9:17 am

        Hello, is it 9 tablespoons of garlic paste and 9 tablespoons of Ginger?

        Reply
        • Andy says

          March 26, 2017 at 3:48 am

          If you’re making an amount of the recipe that calls for 18 of garlic-ginger paste total, then yes? I’d love to know why everyone’s so worried. I get it. I used to hide scrawled recipes up my sleeve when cooking for friends even if I’d done it 10+ times. I guess, on the other hand, it is *somewhat ambiguous* – if it’s 50/ 50 so easy to say so in the list. Perhaps? Or perhaps I’m wrong. PS – I’m fascinated by the blog and just referenced it in a v nice, thrown together vegetable curry, which has turned out to be splendid. Many thanks. 🙂

          Reply
          • Dan Toombs says

            March 27, 2017 at 11:46 am

            Thank you very much Andy!

            Dan

  22. Charly says

    April 24, 2015 at 7:25 pm

    Hi I made this but it looks Nothing like the pic and was a very dry sauce, I have read over and put in enough water to cover the veg, I can’t see where I went wrong 🙁

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 21, 2015 at 6:29 am

      Hi Charly

      Just add more water. My recipes are produced in my kitchen with the products I have on hand. Perhaps yours were not the same size etc. Just add more water and let it cook longer. You’ll get there.

      Dan

      Reply
  23. Daniel says

    May 12, 2015 at 2:47 pm

    Hey, looking forward to trying this! Would love to make a chicken Rogan Josh though, could I just follow the lamb recipe you gave but use chicken instead?
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 20, 2015 at 7:56 pm

      Hi Daniel

      You can use chicken instead. It doesn’t need to cook as long either. Just cooke it through completely until tender.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  24. Julian says

    May 16, 2015 at 7:40 am

    I have been successfully making the sauce in a slow cooker by putting all the ingredients in the pot in the recipe order in one go and letting it slow cook on low for a few hours, then purée it. Excellent results every time.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 4, 2015 at 10:27 am

      Hi Julian

      Thanks for that. I might give that a try someday.

      Dan

      Reply
    • Tara says

      January 13, 2019 at 5:58 am

      Julian, could you add more details? do you add water to the slow cooker?

      Reply
  25. Julian says

    June 15, 2015 at 12:45 pm

    How much water would you say you add roughly in a measurement?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 21, 2015 at 7:10 am

      Hi Julian

      I never really measure. Just top it all up with water. If you find the sauce is too thick after blending, add a little more. It should be like a thick pourable cream.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  26. Greg berg says

    June 25, 2015 at 5:23 pm

    Hi Dan are you using canned tomatoes or fresh. Looks like canned from the weight perspective (14.5 ounces).
    Thanks
    Greg

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 10, 2015 at 7:12 pm

      Hi Greg

      Here in the UK I use canned in the Winter and fresh in the Summer. Hope this helps.

      Dan

      Reply
  27. GB says

    July 2, 2015 at 12:03 pm

    Hi

    I have just made this and the smell is incredible – it already smells like walking into a takeaway in South London! However, When the sauce was finished I only had about 12 x cupfuls – if I have read the above correctly, I should have had enough sauce for 8 portions of 3 cupfuls ( therefore = 24). I followed the recipe exactly, so what has gone wrong?

    To clarify, I have approx 2..3 kilograms of sauce which I have split into 4 portions. Should I now add water to thin it, as it does seem just a little thicker than I expected.

    Any suggestions would be welcome!

    Thanks

    G

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 21, 2015 at 7:13 am

      Hi G

      You should definitely add water or a bit of fragrant stock (recipe on my blog) if you feel the end result is too thick. This happens from time to time as it is not an exact science. Get it to the consistency that you like it and your curries will be perfect.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
      • GB says

        July 28, 2015 at 5:27 pm

        Many thanks Dan. I should say that since my question, I have gone on to make both Chicken Madras and Chicken Dhansak – (having thinned the sauce with water as I suspected you would suggest), both of which were absolutely incredible and could have arrived as a takeaway from a top local Indian Restaurant. I cannot believe that they were made with my own hands in my own kitchen.

        I chose not to prepare the chicken in the way you describe, favouring instead the Chinese method of velvetting – marinating in egg white and cornflour then briefly frying before adding to the curry. Amazing!y tender and moist.

        I have been trying to make a restaurant style curry at home for almost 20 years, and have never been satisfied – until now that is! I have about 30 books on Indian cookery and about 5 of those are on Indian Restaurant cookery. Guess where they are going now!

        Anybody reading this who may be thinking: “it is a lot of ingredients”, “I don’t have the time” , “I’m not a good enough cook” or “Dan has asked G to write this”, is wrong and needs to think again and try it. My curries at home have that real, indescribable restaurant taste and you Dan, are a Godsend!

        Reply
        • Thomas says

          December 4, 2020 at 8:25 pm

          Thank you, GB! I’d never heard of velveting chicken. I’ll be trying it! 😁

          Reply
    • Tony says

      November 11, 2015 at 10:05 am

      Hi gb mine is exactly the same, made 3 liters which like you said made half. Did you add 3 liters of water after?
      Regards

      Tony

      Reply
      • Dan Toombs says

        November 12, 2015 at 11:03 am

        Hi Tony

        I’m not sure I understand your questions. The recipe is exactly as is. I usually don’t add any more water at the end. It should be a slightly thick sauce about the same consistency as single cream.

        Thanks
        Dan

        Reply
        • GB says

          November 29, 2015 at 8:05 pm

          Tony & Dan

          I cannot remember how much water I added at the end, but it was enough to thin it slightly to the consistency of cream, as Dan described. I suppose variable sized ingredients, cooking heat etc, all make our attempts produce slightly different results in the end.

          Regardless of my worries about consistency, the taste and flavour is spot on, this is now the only curry sauce recipe I will use!

          Reply
          • Dan Toombs says

            November 29, 2015 at 10:15 pm

            Great to hear. Thank you GB. 🙂

            Dan

  28. Laura says

    July 7, 2015 at 9:02 pm

    Hi Dan,
    I am about to make your curry and then lamb vindaloo for my husband – I just wanted to compliment you on your nice, clean printing pages – so many websites clutter up recipes with ads and junk or take 10 pages of paper to print a 1 page recipe! It is so nice to encounter your site which does not do that!
    Thanks,
    Laura

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 10, 2015 at 6:59 pm

      Thank you Laura and sorry for the late reply. I really appreciate you trying my recipe. Hope you liked it. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  29. Jim Black says

    July 11, 2015 at 9:59 am

    Hi there, I just wanted to ask if you have to put it in a blender? As it looks great pre blend.
    Thanks Jim.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 13, 2015 at 7:36 am

      Hi Jim

      The sauce is usually blended until smooth but I often don’t bother. Many restaurants use a chunkier sauce in their dishes. Good luck.

      Dan

      Reply
  30. Keith Mckeown says

    July 21, 2015 at 8:01 am

    HI .Looks and smells great.
    unblended or blended
    thanks for the recipe mate

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 29, 2015 at 7:33 pm

      Thanks Keith. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  31. Si says

    July 21, 2015 at 7:49 pm

    This stuff is amazing, can’t get enough of the simple jalfrezi, made a big batch of sauce last month, a small batch last week and back for another big batch tonight.

    Just wondering, my wife and I both like a bit of a chilli kick, if we’re the only people eating it would you add chilli to the sauce instead of the final dish or is it better this way round?

    Thanks for posting this stuff Dan

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 4, 2015 at 9:51 am

      Hi Si

      Thanks for the question. If you are the only two eating the curries, you could add chilli to taste. I don’t as I like to add heat at the end of cooking. Happy cooking.

      Dan

      Reply
  32. Sharon says

    July 25, 2015 at 7:33 pm

    Hi Dan

    I don’t normally review or comment, but I just wanted to leave a comment thanking you for sharing this wonderful recipe with us! I made it today and then used it to make a Rogan Josh which was absolutely delicious, and tasted very much like a curry house curry! I’ve tried many times to recreate curry house curries to no avail, but you have provided the perfect solution here.

    Thanks again!

    Sharon

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 4, 2015 at 9:32 am

      Hi Sharon

      Thank you very much. I’m really glad the recipe worked for you. Keep in touch.

      Dan

      Reply
  33. Big H says

    August 28, 2015 at 10:01 pm

    Excellent recipe, thank you. I admit I was dubious about the smoked paprika (essentially a Mediterranean ingredient) but it added a lovely touch. Highly recommended.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 4, 2015 at 8:03 am

      Thank you. Really glad you liked it. That was a tip I learned visiting a restaurant in London.

      Dan

      Reply
      • AlexD says

        May 27, 2016 at 6:51 pm

        How important is it that you use smoked paprika? I can’t easily get hold of it (remote rural Canada) and was wondering whether I needed to mail order some (and delay making the sauce) or just use standard paprika instead? Thanks!

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          July 8, 2016 at 9:44 am

          Hi Alex

          Normal paprika will work fine. It’s actually what I use most often.

          Thanks,
          Dan

          Reply
  34. jan booker says

    September 4, 2015 at 8:24 am

    hi Dan, i only have fenugreek seeds, do i still add a tablespoon?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 4, 2015 at 7:53 am

      Hi Jan

      That should still be fine. Just be sure to grind them first.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  35. Balal says

    September 5, 2015 at 2:36 pm

    I’m a British born Kashmiri and my mum has always cooked traditional Indian Pakistani curry’s. However nothing beats a britiah Indian takeaway!

    This recipe is an absolute God send. Thank you so much for sharing!

    Let us know if we can support you in any other way, apart from Kindle purchases.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      September 18, 2015 at 11:33 am

      Thank you very much Balal. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  36. Astrid Barnhoorn says

    September 10, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    I would like to make this recipe. It Will be the forst time i make an Indian dish. I Cannon vind any gingen of garlic paste here in Holland .
    Can i use fresh garlic and ginger?
    How much do i need to start with? Thanks for this great website!
    Greetings from Holland!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      September 18, 2015 at 11:17 am

      Hi Astrid

      There is a recipe on my site for garlic and ginger paste. It’s really easy to make. Just take equal amounts of chopped garlic and ginger and blend with a little water into a paste. Just make as much as you need or make more than you need. It keeps in the fridge for up to three days or you can freeze it. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  37. Sara says

    September 20, 2015 at 7:52 pm

    An absolute hit with my hubby and friends. I live in Spain now and this is the perfect recipe for those Friday nights when you yearn for Indian restaurant curry. I cooked the Jafrezi and have enough left over for another, its making the choice of what to try next is the hard part

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 4, 2015 at 7:42 am

      Hi Sara. Thank you for stopping by. Really glad you liked the jalfrezi. Happy cooking.

      Cheers
      Dan

      Reply
  38. Sara says

    September 20, 2015 at 7:52 pm

    An absolute hit with my hubby and friends. I live in Spain now and this is the perfect recipe for those Friday nights when you yearn for Indian restaurant curry. I cooked the Jalfrezi and have enough left over for another, its making the choice of what to try next is the hard part

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 4, 2015 at 7:40 am

      Hi Sara

      Thank you for stopping by and for trying my recipes. Really glad you liked the jalfrezi. Happy cooking!

      Dan

      Reply
  39. Kathryn Bradord says

    September 25, 2015 at 10:21 am

    Can you let me know what hot and other spices to add to make the madras after I have made the large batch as I can only see photos but not what to add Thank’s

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 4, 2015 at 7:37 am

      Hi Kathryn

      Now that you have made the sauce, simply go to my restaurant style curries section on the blog. All of the popular curries including madras are there and they use the base sauce.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  40. Chris says

    September 27, 2015 at 10:25 pm

    Thank you very much Dan. This is a fantastic recipe. At long last I can make a restaurant curry that tastes like they used to in the 70’s.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 4, 2015 at 7:31 am

      Thank you Chris. Really glad you like the recipe.

      Dan

      Reply
  41. Mike Morris says

    September 29, 2015 at 1:19 pm

    Have been asked to cook a curry for 60+ at the rugby club
    I can do quality but have never considered the efforts of quantity.
    Bought the book. Gonna trial on the under 16s squad and then go for real the week after. Two different curries. Lamb and chicken

    For the test curry… 30people ish… Do you think 6kg of chicken? Was thinking of thighs.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 4, 2015 at 7:29 am

      Hi Mike

      That should cover it. Thanks for trying the recipes.

      Dan

      Reply
  42. Mike Morris says

    October 1, 2015 at 8:55 pm

    Oh my days! Just did the large batch and 6kgs of chicken tandoori making the chicken tikka masala for 35 very hungry rugby kids and coaches!
    Absolutely lush. Gonna make more from the book!

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 4, 2015 at 7:24 am

      Thank you very much Mike. Really glad you all liked the recipe. I have a new ebook coming out soon that will feature many more tandoori style recipes.

      Cheers
      Dan

      Reply
  43. Jackie says

    October 9, 2015 at 2:50 pm

    I’m making this sauce as we speak but got a question. Is it 9 table spoons of garlic n ginger or 4 n half each? O and can I use butter instead of ghlee?? Thanks

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 10, 2015 at 1:53 pm

      Hi Jackie

      The garlic and ginger paste is a blend of garlic and ginger. 9 tablespoons of that blend should be fine. You can use butter instead of ghee but it burns easier so watch it. Lots of chefs use vegetable oil instead. Good luck.

      Dan

      Reply
  44. Mike Morris says

    October 9, 2015 at 5:02 pm

    So up scaling my curry for the rugby club.
    5kg Chicken tikka masala. Done before know it
    5kg lamb Keema…Pakistani breakfast as I call it
    And beef madras.
    Making the pre-cook meat bit but there is quiet a lot of liquid.
    I’m presuming I store all that possibly add less base sauce yeah?
    Or should I drain off?
    I’m going for the use it all approach.

    Be keen to know if that is right.

    Ta.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 10, 2015 at 1:51 pm

      Hi Mike

      You’ve got it. Just add sauce until you are happy with how the curry looks and tastes. You could add additional cooking stock to give the curry more flavour. There is no real rule other than it has to be perfect for your tastes. Good luck.

      Dan

      Reply
  45. reg says

    October 17, 2015 at 2:27 pm

    Hi Dan, I want to thank you for the base sauce recipe. I’m always trying to re-create an authentic curry house taste and this is what my curries have been missing. I’m making my second batch now. Do you think this sauce would serve as a base to a Dhansak? Keep up the good work.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 28, 2015 at 7:31 am

      Hi Reg

      Thank you. It sure would. In fact I have a new dhansak recipe coming up soon. Watch this space.

      Dan

      Reply
  46. jacqui says

    October 31, 2015 at 12:56 am

    just bought your kindle book, based on the blog i have been reading ….. i was impressed…. just thought i would share with you 🙂 i cook a fairly mean chicken tikka masala myself, but the curry base means i can now make a lot of other recipes.. thanks to you. i have a slick new cooker arriving in the morning, so i will be sampling some of your delights tomorrow .. .can’t wait 😀

    thanks very much!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 2, 2015 at 8:12 am

      Thank you very much Jacqui. I’m really glad you enjoy the sauce. Happy cooking.

      Dan

      Reply
  47. Mark H says

    October 31, 2015 at 9:22 am

    Morning Dan, with regards to the large batch curry sauce, is it 9 tbs each of garlic and ginger paste, or 9 tbs of each? Great recipes, just realised you live in my home town,
    Mark.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 2, 2015 at 8:07 am

      Hi Mark

      It’s nine tablespoons of garlic and ginger paste as a blend. That is equal measures of garlic and ginger blended into a paste. Hope this helps. Yarm’s a great place!

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  48. william says

    November 1, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    hi Dan. My base curry sauce is simmering away as i type (pre-turmeric phase). At the moment the spice flavour is in the background when i tase rather than in my face. I’m wondering if i added enough spice. Are the tablespoon measures meant to be level or heaped or somewhere in between? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 2, 2015 at 8:03 am

      Hi William

      I usually use rounded measures. Think of this sauce as a base. There is not a lot of flavour as it is used in so many different curries. The real flavour is added when you make the basic sauce into different curries. Hope this helps.

      Dan

      Reply
  49. Joe S. says

    November 8, 2015 at 12:15 pm

    Last night I made your curry base for the third time. I really like to use it because I really like a lot of sauce in my dishes. I discovered Indian food during a trip the the U.K. & my wife & I really have grown into loving it. We do have some great restaurants here in Ann Arbor, MI USA but I’ve been making it at home for quite some time now. Your curry base has really changed the game for me.

    The only change I’ve made is reducing the smoked paprika to a teaspoon. It’s just a matter of personal taste. It seemed like the paprika flavour dominated any dish I used the base in.

    Last night it was Chicken Korma & it was delicious! I plan to go right down your list & make them all. My wife wants me to use your low fat recipe book but I will have to actually buy a Kindle first.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 10, 2015 at 12:11 pm

      Hi Joe

      Thanks for stopping by and for trying my recipes. I’m really glad you like them. Lately I’ve been using unsmoked paprika. My recipes change all the time. 🙂 Have fun with the recipes and keep experimenting.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  50. Tony says

    November 10, 2015 at 5:00 pm

    Hi Dan I’ve just made the Base sauce and am looking forward to many curry’s, I also downloaded the kindle curry book and in it you change the reciepy slightly, it says 1 tablespoon of curry powder instead of garam masala and then 1 tsp of turmeric instead of 1 tablespoon? I cook Thai and some vegetable Indian curry’s alot so I’m happy enough that it’s not going to be a big change. But which recipe is the most up-to-date? Regards
    Tony

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 12, 2015 at 11:10 am

      Hi Tony

      Thanks for asking. The recipe on my site is the most up to date at the moment though that will change. I’m busy revising my ebooks. You could use either garam masala or curry powder. They are essentially the same thing. Curry powders and garam masalas vary a lot as well. If you are using my recipes, you won’t be disappointed by adding either. I have also started using less turmeric. I don’t really know why. It has just happened. 🙂

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  51. Marco says

    November 26, 2015 at 4:45 pm

    Hi dan just want to say thankyou for everything you’ve done on this site , ive been using your reciepes for a while now and have had great results every time .thankyou. marco

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 29, 2015 at 10:19 pm

      Thank you very much for that Marco. I’ll keep the recipes coming. Really glad you like them.

      Dan

      Reply
  52. Dave says

    November 29, 2015 at 9:07 pm

    your recipes look great, have just purchased your e-books and can’t wait to start cooking them

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 29, 2015 at 10:13 pm

      Thank you very much Dave! Much appreciated. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  53. Dave says

    December 12, 2015 at 8:19 pm

    Hi, If i wanted to cook this recipe in a 5litre pot, would I just halve all the ingredients including the powders??

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      December 14, 2015 at 11:08 am

      Hi Dave

      That should work fine. 🙂

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  54. Marcel Duval says

    December 12, 2015 at 10:45 pm

    Hi Dan,
    Made your base sauce this past week and got rave reviews for the chicken Korma, (your recipe) and for a chickpeas and vegetables version. Question: has anyone tried canning (mason jars) your base sauce? I don’t see a problem if following the proper canning process, but I thought I should ask. Thank you.

    Marcel

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      December 14, 2015 at 11:07 am

      Hi Marcel

      I’ve never thought about that one but I also don’t see any problem. I usually just freeze mine but that sounds like a good idea.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
      • Marcel Duval says

        December 14, 2015 at 2:54 pm

        Hi Dan,

        Thanks. I will give it a try.

        Marcel.

        Reply
        • capt says

          December 22, 2015 at 7:34 am

          I’m curious too but I think to be safe you need to find a good method. The contents are low acid and that is not good for water bath canning. (you need more acid) I’d be very interested in any method for water bath you might find and share. Thanks

          Reply
      • Susanna says

        November 18, 2016 at 4:30 am

        Hi Dan, thank you so much for this great recipe! Your Restaurant Curry Sauce is a staple in our house for quite a while now. And thanks to, you my kids are becoming quite the curry lovers. I usually prepare 4 times the amount of above recipe and can it with the water canning method. The only adaptation to canning that I make, is that I use less oil when frying the onions. I fill the boiling sauce into canning jars, transfer them into the hot water bath and leave them in the boiling water for two hours. That way the sauce keeps for months and makes a great gift for all the people who like to make a quick curry after a long day at work or chasing infants around the house.
        PS: I love it, that you mention which recipes your kids like. I make sure to include one of those whenever we prepare a curry feast.
        PPS: With modern canning gear (well regulated temperature) the low acidity of the ingredients does not prevent them from being cannable, it just means you have to leave them in the water bath a bit longer.

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          November 18, 2016 at 9:04 am

          Hi Susanna

          I love this! Thank you very much. I have preserved a lot of pickles but never the base sauce. I’ll give it a try. To be honest, I now use a lot more oil. About 500ml more to be exact. I’ve learned to do this over the passed couple of years through my restaurant visits. When you simmer the sauce, all of the oil rises to the top. The oil is now seasoned and has a great flavour. I carefully skim it off the top and keep it for use in my curries rather than simply using plain vegetable or rapeseed oil. It adds a lot of depth to the curry. Thanks again for you tip!

          Dan

          Reply
  55. John says

    December 15, 2015 at 7:45 pm

    Hi Dan

    I just want to say thanks a lot for sharing…I’ve been making curry sauces for ages, but this one was the best I’ve ever made from scratch (I think is was as I was following your recipe I upped the amount of onions, I added a lot more than I usually do and left them to sweat/caramelize )

    I used it to make a basic fish curry, I threw in a bit of desiccated coconut and a few peas for sweetness and added some white fish! It was lovely…plus I’ve got a pan full of sauce left! Am already planning what I can add to make different dishes….Thanks again

    Reply
  56. David says

    December 18, 2015 at 3:06 pm

    Hey, I am from New York, USA. I want to buy your books! How can i do so?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 5, 2016 at 4:38 pm

      Hi David

      I only have ebooks and they are all available on Amazon.com. Just type in Dan Toombs in the search. Hope this helps.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  57. Peter Cryan says

    December 20, 2015 at 10:26 am

    Hi Dan, Just made a batchful of your Curry Sauce and looks great and all went well. The only thing I have is a slightly bitter aftertaste. Maybe too much Garlic?? How can I fix it or will it disappear once I make a curry

    Thanks

    Peter

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      December 29, 2015 at 9:00 pm

      Hi Peter

      It sounds like you might have over cooked the garlic. I’m not really sure. If you burnt the garlic, there isn’t much you can do but start over. You’ll get there. I wish I could be more help but I haven’t come across this problem before. Burnt garlic is quite bitter.

      Good luck.

      Dan

      Reply
  58. GB says

    December 21, 2015 at 5:03 pm

    Hi Dan,

    Merry Christmas to you and yours. I just wanted to thank you again for a superb site.

    I have one question regarding your curry sauce – have you ever made it, then used it as the base sauce in a slow cooker to make your curries? I do not want to waste this liquid gold if you don’t think it will work!

    GB

    Reply
  59. Capt says

    December 24, 2015 at 2:21 am

    So what you don’t like my feedback? Seems you have filtered my comments, what’s the issue ? Canning low acid foods can make you sick depending on how you do it….I ‘m still trying to find a safe water bath way.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      December 28, 2015 at 6:12 pm

      Hi, I’m not sure what you mean by that. I haven’t filtered your comments????

      Dan

      Reply
  60. Smiling Cowboy says

    January 2, 2016 at 10:29 pm

    Base sauce is great. I used it to make a saagwala, now looking forward to making a masala and bhuna.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 5, 2016 at 4:35 pm

      Great to hear. I’m glad you liked it. Good luck with the bhuna. It’s one of my favourites.

      Dan

      Reply
  61. Chris says

    January 7, 2016 at 7:19 pm

    Hi Dan

    Is there a version that doesn’t use ghee? Just trying to keep it low fat.

    Thanks and Happy New Year

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 7, 2016 at 7:21 pm

      Hi Chris

      Try using light olive oil or rapeseed oil. I often do and it works fine.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
      • Chris says

        January 7, 2016 at 7:31 pm

        Thanks Dan , as I do not have time to make the base tomorrow, I’d like to make the chicken saagwala, can you offer a n adapted version of your existing recipe that would n’t involve the base? Or is that just plain daft???

        Reply
      • Chris says

        January 7, 2016 at 7:32 pm

        Thanks Dan , as I do not have time to make the base tomorrow, I’d like to make the chicken saagwala, can you offer an adapted version of your existing recipe that would n’t involve the base? Or is that just plain daft???

        Reply
  62. David says

    January 21, 2016 at 1:26 pm

    I just want to appreciate you for this blog. I like Chicken Tikka Masala very much. I will collect a big pot of sauce and will make it soon.

    I hope it will be the good recipe.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 27, 2016 at 3:43 pm

      Hi David

      Hope you like it too. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  63. mike says

    January 23, 2016 at 3:55 pm

    Hi Dan,
    I think i may have missed something here, for the large batch of base sauce how much water do you use , also will the taste / texture be different if veg oil is used instead of butter.?

    kind regards

    Mike

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 12, 2016 at 12:37 pm

      Hi Mike

      How much water you use is really up to your own personal preference. I usually use just enough to cover all the vegetables. Some people like their curries runnier or drier so just adjust. Many chefs use vegetable oil instead of butter/ghee. It gives a different flavour. Personally I prefer ghee but vegetable oil is fine too.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  64. jonnie says

    January 26, 2016 at 3:34 pm

    On Amazon it says you and your family ate nothing else but curry for a year.
    I am going to try that on with my wife.
    You should watch Red Dwarf if you dont’ already – reckon you’d get on just fine with Lister.
    Shame about the lack of paper versions of your books – also why should the US ( Amazon + Kindle ) get a slice of everything we do?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 24, 2016 at 2:25 pm

      Hi Jonnie

      I haven’t seen Red Dwarf but will try to now. 🙂 I’m working on finding a publisher for a printed version.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  65. Sara says

    January 31, 2016 at 12:06 am

    Could you make this without the cabbage?? Is there any substitute?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 24, 2016 at 2:22 pm

      Hi Sara

      You can definitely make it without the cabbage. Many chefs do. It is essentially an onion stock.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  66. Jim says

    February 18, 2016 at 11:27 am

    Hi Dan,
    I have just discovered your site and am very excited. I have been striving to make a restaurant styl curry for over 30yrs!!!
    Can you tell me the tablespoon measure you use are they U.S or U.K. standard measures. I live in the UK and I think our tablespoons are larger.

    Many thanks
    Jim

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 24, 2016 at 2:10 pm

      Hi Jim

      I use UK measures. My recipes are just guides though. If a recipe calls for one tablespoon chilli powder and you think it might be a bit much, just add less.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  67. steve says

    March 3, 2016 at 8:11 am

    hi Dan,

    I have never made a curry before yet I eat a few , I like Dopiaza, Jalfrezi curries the most
    how would I go about using tho sauce but then make it into on the 2 I have mentioned
    do you have recipe for them

    thanks
    steve

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 14, 2016 at 8:45 am

      Hi Steve

      I have recipes for both of those curries on the site with instructions on how to use the base sauce. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  68. Gareth A. says

    March 24, 2016 at 11:06 pm

    Great recipe and now my house smells great. Just one concern and it’s almost certainly down to my incompetence, but the base sauce is slightly bitter. Can I get around this in future cooks or even correct it when making the finished curry? Or is this as intended. I know tinned tomatoes often vary considerably in terms of acidity.

    Thanks for the great site!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 8, 2016 at 11:59 am

      Hi Gareth

      I haven’t been asked that one before and have never had the problem. It could be that you burnt your garlic which would make the sauce bitter. That or perhaps you used too much turmeric or fenugreek for your personal taste. Try those spices and see if that is where the bitterness is coming from.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  69. Barry says

    March 28, 2016 at 11:05 pm

    Hi Dan,

    How many tomatoes do you use for 400ml or do you use tin tomatoes?

    Thanks
    Barry

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 8, 2016 at 10:26 am

      Hi Barry

      Tinned tomatoes will work fine. That’s what I use usually.

      Dan

      Reply
  70. Tomas says

    April 9, 2016 at 4:23 pm

    Hi Dan, I’m trying to figure out exactly how much in grams of onion you use in this recipe (regarding the other ingredients). I’am a beginner so I wanna get it right and end up with the right flavour. Thanks very much for help, Tomas

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 12, 2016 at 9:33 am

      Hi Tomas

      Sorry but I can’t help you with that one yet. I’ll be making it again this week and will weigh the amount of onions used. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
    • Lukas says

      August 29, 2016 at 1:06 am

      I made the recipe using 10 tennis-ball sized onions and after trimming off the tops and roots, and peeling off the skin, they came in at 1,900 grams.

      Reply
  71. Jack Taylor says

    April 17, 2016 at 7:49 pm

    Hi Dan,

    I have just made the large batch of base sauce and then used it to make the chicken saagwala.

    After tasting the finished base sauce I found it very sweet and it seemed to carry over to the saagwala. What ingredient could cause this or is it normal?

    Apart from this very flavoursome and perfect consistency so would like to keep using your recipes

    Regards

    Jack

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 8, 2016 at 12:05 pm

      Hi Jack

      Sorry but I’m not really sure. Someone else just commented that theirs was too bitter. I think it will be down to the ingredients used. Try to experiment a bit and you’ll get there. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  72. Barney says

    April 22, 2016 at 8:56 pm

    Hi.

    By garlic & ginger paste, do you mean the bottled stuff?

    Must say, I’ve used it before and not been impressed, though maybe it’s how it’s used:)

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 8, 2016 at 10:03 am

      Hi Barney

      I know what you mean. I hate the bottled stuff. I make my own. Equal amounts of garlic and ginger blended with a little water into a paste. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  73. Samina Samji says

    May 31, 2016 at 2:40 am

    My mother always kept the ginger and garlic paste mixed in one jar. I keep them separated, since I like to use more ginger in meat dishes or no ginger in vegetarian dishes. Am I correct that your 9 Table spoons is a mixture of both and not 9 each. How do you feel about the two being combined and in what proportion would you mix the ginger and garlic pastes or is it half and half. I need to clarify before I make my big batch. Looking forward to the smells when I do. How long can it be kept frozen?
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 8, 2016 at 9:41 am

      Hi Samina

      Sorry for my late reply. It is nine tablespoons garlic/ginger paste mix. My mix is a 50% split but you can definitely change that if you want.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  74. Debbie says

    June 5, 2016 at 10:44 pm

    I have one question about the recipe.mit calls for 9 tablespoons of garlic and ginger paste. Is this 9 tbls of each?

    Thank you in advance!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 8, 2016 at 9:25 am

      Hi Debbie

      It’s nine tablespoons of garlic/ginger paste. Nine total.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  75. Tim says

    June 30, 2016 at 1:35 am

    Hi Dan,
    Great site and recipe. I’ve been in Australia for years now and have talked fondly to my kids of how good the BIR’s were in comparison to most encountered here. I was a bit spoiled though, going to University in Bradford then working lots in Birmingham, Manchester and other areas good for curries. Looking forward to re-creating some meals!
    Made a large pot of this yesterday and reckon it will do 30 portions for me and 2 teenage kids. Smells absolutely gorgeous this morning and I know it’s going to be good. Pre-cooked meat today, so when it’s time to cook something up should have time to do starters and breads too. 🙂
    Thanks, Tim.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 8, 2016 at 9:09 am

      Hi Tim

      Thanks for stopping by. I’d love to hear how you get on so please keep in touch.

      Dan

      Reply
  76. Matfrabunnen says

    July 12, 2016 at 6:26 am

    Dear Dan, after trying to cook Indian food for 20 years, going through numerous recipes and cook books, you did finally solve the great mystery for me – THANK YOU! This recipe is indeed the key and the well-hidden secret to making restaurant-style Indian food at home. Even hubbie, who wasn’t fond of Indian curries at all, now loves them (!). I got a tip in a facebook food group about your blog, and now I’ve made the base sauce twice and it’s fantastic. Yesterday I made a blog post about it (in Norwegian) and credited you there of course. I also purchased a couple of your e-books just because I’m so grateful for the recipe. 🙂 Keep up the great work!

    I do, however, have a couple of questions:
    1) Why is the turmeric added in the end, and cooked slightly in ghee first (to release the aromatics, I presume)?
    2) I find adding the spices right after the onion has cooked releases the aromatics better, I also add the turmeric at that point – stir well for a couple of minutes, then add garlic & ginger, stir for a minute and then add the rest of the veggies. Thoughts?

    All the best and greetings from Norway,

    Aleksandra

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 12, 2016 at 7:36 pm

      Hi Aleksandra

      Thank you very much for your kind words. I’m really happy you liked the recipe and thank you for purchasing my ebooks. To be honest, my recipes have changed since the ebooks and that post. I have visited so many excellent restaurants to research a new printed cookbook that will be published in May 2017 by Quadrille Publishing.

      The curry base sauce recipe on my site and in my ebook was one of the first I learned. The turmeric was tempered and added at the end of cooking by the chef to give the base sauce more colour. I now add it, like you do with the other ground spices. I think you will love my new recipe when it is published.

      For now though, the way you are doing things sounds good. My new way is a lot different but with the same ingredients. Watch this space. 🙂

      I love getting feedback like this. Thank you very much for mentioning me on your blog.

      Dan

      Reply
  77. Judith Reynolds says

    July 23, 2016 at 3:00 am

    I have been living in New Zealand for seven years and the only thing I miss more than gammon is a British style curry. I’ve been trying to replicate them for years,creating loads of flavour but not the consistency…….until now!
    Dan,you have changed my life! We have just had curry for dinner 17 days straight.
    I bought the app,but think I know all the recipies by heart now.
    Thank you so so much! Jude

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 26, 2016 at 7:25 am

      Thank you very much Jude! I’m really happy you like the recipes. I’ll keep them coming. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  78. Jenny says

    July 25, 2016 at 6:53 am

    Hi Dan, As an English person living in Australia now, I find it hard to find a decent curry so your recipes are absolutely magic! I was so happy to find your site. Thank you, Jenny

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 26, 2016 at 7:24 am

      Thank you very much Jenny. I’ll keep the recipes coming on the blog and I have a cookbook out in May 2017. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
      • Jenny says

        August 1, 2016 at 4:27 am

        Great, can’t wait to buy it! Keep up the good work!

        Reply
  79. Mike Morris says

    July 28, 2016 at 1:14 pm

    So I’ve gone and bought myself an instantpot cooker (glorified pressure cooker, slow cooker come salute-er) and wondered if I could speed up any of the processes such as making stock and doing the pre-cook meats.

    Wouldn’t use for the main cooking or baltis but might speed up and ease the BIR and such.

    Any thoughts or experience?

    Have seen it can cook lamb shank in 40mins so looking forward to that as a curry dish.

    Reply
  80. alan says

    August 5, 2016 at 8:57 pm

    Hi Dan,
    After trying lots of Indian recipes for BIR style curry I found your web site by chance on the net. I was very impressed with your descriptions and good photos of the various stages of cooking. So long story short made the base curry and tried the chicken Madras. Wow mate well done it was so good, only issue is my girlfriend says we won’t need to go out for Indian again….lol

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      August 9, 2016 at 6:24 pm

      That’s excellent news Alan. Really glad you guys liked the recipe.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  81. Kate says

    August 31, 2016 at 5:48 am

    I tried them all, and I really appreciate them all, espeically the rogan josh, thankyou.
    Is it possible you could put up a recipe for Mango chicken curry?
    Thankyou

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      September 2, 2016 at 10:40 am

      Hi Kate

      Thank you. I’ll work on the mango chicken curry too. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  82. Alan Tolman says

    October 6, 2016 at 4:11 pm

    Hi I have some beef flank steaks. What is the best way to pre cook these before adding to your rogan recipe? Thanks Alan.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 6, 2016 at 7:02 pm

      Hi Alan

      Flank steak has so much flavour. I like to grill in on the bbq. It restaurants, it would normally be cooked until well done but I like it medium. Cut across the grain as it will be easier to chew.

      Hope this helps.

      Dan

      Reply
  83. Mike Warden says

    November 7, 2016 at 4:40 pm

    Hi Dan,

    I’m going to have a go at making an authentic BIR curry following your recipes – looks primising.
    Some other recipes I’ve tried suggest red onions – is this something you’ve experimented with?

    Regards,
    Mike

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 8, 2016 at 1:34 pm

      Hi Mike

      I’ve experimented with red onions and it wasn’t bad. Brown onions are what are used at every restaurant I’ve visited though. Hope this helps and thanks.

      Dan

      Reply
  84. Clive says

    November 27, 2016 at 7:55 pm

    Hi there, is this the sauce I would use for just a plain chicken curry like in the takeaways, I’m puzzled??????

    Please help as my misses only like chicken curry

    Many thanks

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 29, 2016 at 8:35 am

      Hi Clive

      That’s right. In restaurants, they make a huge batch of this and then use it in most of their curries. If you would like a plain chicken curry, I recommend using my Madras recipe but leaving out most if not all of the chilli powder and chillies. Good luck.

      Dan

      Reply
  85. furniture assembly london says

    December 20, 2016 at 9:58 pm

    Thank you for sharing. You have built a very nice site.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 2, 2017 at 10:56 am

      Thank you.

      Reply
  86. Marc says

    January 10, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    I’ve made this base for the first time and tried a few of the curries that are at the top of the page. Great Recipes loved the patia. Is there any more curries I can make from this base?
    Thanks for this it’s taste better than the local takeaway 🙂

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 11, 2017 at 8:01 pm

      Hi Marc

      Thank you very much. I will be adding more recipes in the coming months to the list. I also have a cookbook coming out that will be available on Amazon and other major retailers. It’s called “The Curry Guy” it there are quite a few in there too.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  87. will says

    February 22, 2017 at 10:32 pm

    Your video shows 750ml ,but the written recipe says 250ml could you verify which one it is,cheers

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 24, 2017 at 9:03 am

      Hi Will

      The video is a newer recipe. I state that in the recipe post but it may not be clear. Oil is an excellent transporter of flavour. In the research I did for my upcoming cookbook, I noticed that many chefs use a lot of oil. They then skim it off the top and use the seasoned oil in their curries. It adds a nice flavour you just can’t get from plain oil.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  88. John says

    February 25, 2017 at 11:52 pm

    I’m confused. The video calls for 3 tablespoons each of the spices but the written recipe only calls for 1 tablespoon? Also the oil in the video is 750ml but only 250ml in the above recipe. Can you calrify both of these discrepancies? You mention something about skimming the flavored oil off. If I use 750ml am I supposed to skim most of it off?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 28, 2017 at 1:55 pm

      Hi John

      I think I might need to remove the video from that page. You are not the first person to ask. I state on the page that the video is a different recipe to the written recipe. To answer your question about the oil, that is a little trick to keep the fat down and also have some great tasting oil for your curries. You probably could get it all out if you want to try but it could take some time. Try to get as much as you can out as it keeps forever. I suggest using either the written or the video recipe. I will write out the video recipe when I have more time.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  89. John says

    February 26, 2017 at 12:08 am

    Also – the video calls for 1 liter of water initially, then after removing half of the curry base you replace half the removed curri volume with additional water. I think you said in the comments you use a 10 liter pot so that’s 6 liters if water total?? That seems like a lot of water?

    Reply
  90. Bailey says

    February 27, 2017 at 5:48 am

    Hi Dan,
    Do you think you will upload any veggie recipes that can be derived from this curry base? Would love to use it to make something for my vegan girlfriend 🙂
    Bailey

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 28, 2017 at 2:03 pm

      Hi Bailey

      Thank you. I am working on it. I should have some new veggie recipes with the base sauce on the site soon.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
      • Bailey Smith says

        March 1, 2017 at 4:21 am

        Thanks, really appreciate it. About to make my first batch now!

        Reply
  91. Jim says

    March 3, 2017 at 12:51 pm

    Hi Dan, the video shows that you use 3 Tablespoons of spices and 1LTR of water, but the written recipe states 1 Tablespoon of spices and 500ml of water, which one do I use?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 5, 2017 at 12:02 pm

      Hi Jim

      The recipes are different to each other. I use the video recipe most often.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
      • Jim says

        March 12, 2017 at 6:42 pm

        Hi Dan, Made the base from the written recipe, and from that I made a Chicken Madras and a King Prawn Jalfrezi which were amazing
        All I can say is after years of trying to get that Restaurant taste at last I know someone who knows what they are talking about. Next up Chicken Tikka
        Dan you are the man

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          March 12, 2017 at 9:48 pm

          Thank you very much Jim. Really glad you liked the recipes! Keep in touch.

          Dan

          Reply
  92. Victoria says

    March 7, 2017 at 1:55 pm

    I’m quite new to cooking curries although they are my favourite dish. I like heat but my hubby doesn’t and when he eats curries it’s only very mild one. He asked if I could do him a more traditional tikka massala although he did like the ones I already made. So I followed your recipe and he was very impressed. I have since made the madras, bhuna and dhansak. They are amazing. I was truly impressed with the madras. It was as good as a take away. The curry base sauce makes a huge difference and I’m sure this is what I have been missing. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 9, 2017 at 11:52 am

      Thank you Victoria

      I’m so glad you like the recipes. I always have some base sauce on hand for those last minute cravings! Thank you for trying my recipes.

      Dan

      Reply
  93. Matt says

    March 8, 2017 at 7:19 pm

    Sorry for potentially a dumb question but a beginner ‘wannabe’ curry chef here – could this be made in a medium sized wok?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 9, 2017 at 11:47 am

      Hi Matt

      It could be but you might want to reduce the ingredients so it doesn’t over flow. It should work fine though.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  94. tony says

    March 22, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    Hi Dan……Great site, just pre-ordered 2 books from amazon cant wait to get them.

    iv just made my 1st large batch of base sauce, looks great. You mention at the end to separate into 750ml portions, i have 4 portions is that about right?

    i also notice that different curries call for different amounts of base sauce ie….korma is 700ml, madras is 750ml while jalfrezi is only 400ml…..are these strict measurements? or could i make every curry with the same amount of sauce ie…..700ml for example? or would 700ml would be to much sauce for a jalfrezi

    also do you have the recipe for making an even larger base sauce

    all the very best tony 😉

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 25, 2017 at 9:36 am

      Hi Tony

      Thank you very much for purchasing the copies of my new cookbook. Much appreciated.

      The base sauce is exactly as the name implies, it’s just a base and the measurements are not important. They are just a guide. This is all made more clear in my book. I have learned a lot since posting this recipe. If you watch the video above, you’ll see my most recent version. It is a lot thiner. Water or stock can be added to double the volume so you should get close to 12 litres. I usually freeze it before doubling the volume with water/stock to save freezer space.

      As measurements are not really important, you could easily double this recipe if you want to make more. It will still come out tasting about the same. The real magic happens when you use the rather bland base sauce with spices and other ingredients to make your curries. Hope this helps.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  95. Aasma says

    March 25, 2017 at 10:09 am

    Dear Dan,

    wonderful secret for indian curry.i was trying to get this secret since many years but could not able to find that how restaurant curries are so delicious.Thank you very much for giving us.

    Did you taste indian albake chicken shawrma.it is creamy roti filled up with spicy chicken.it taste very very well just can in small words mouth watering.if you go to delhi please find their receipe. Restaurant is based in New friends colony and restaurant name is Al-bake.

    Thanks for sharing your delicious receips.

    thanks and best Regards
    Aasma

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 25, 2017 at 2:23 pm

      Thanks very much for the tip. When I do go to New Delhi, I’ll definitely try Al-bake!

      Thanks,

      Dan

      Reply
  96. Roger W says

    April 16, 2017 at 3:59 pm

    Hi Dan,
    Just getting into making quantities of your base curry sauce and have one initial query for you.
    Qu.? Using cabbage in curry sauce is new to me so please advise what it gives to the sauce.
    Many thanks.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 18, 2017 at 8:26 pm

      Hi Roger

      It doesn’t add a lot of flavour to be honest. I’ve seen base sauces made with nothing but oil, water and onions. Adding cabbage is something I’ve seen mostly at Bangladeshi run restaurants. If noting else, it’s good for you. 🙂

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  97. John hamling says

    May 6, 2017 at 3:17 pm

    Hi Dan,
    I was very interested to see your take on the base gravy. My sister is allergic to tomatoes and whenever ive asked about this when ordering in Indian restaurants none of them have used tomatoes in their base gravy. I know you have had experience over Indian kitchens so was a bit surprised to see tomatoes in your recipe, is it just something you prefer rather than generally used by Indian restaurants..
    Thanks for some lovely recipes.
    Cheers
    John

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      May 13, 2017 at 5:36 pm

      Hi John

      Thank you very much. I have visited a lot of curry house kitchens. Most use tomatoes in their base sauce but I have seen a couple of chefs make a base sauce with nothing more than onions, water and oil. The tomatoes only add a little flavour and colour. Feel free to leave them out and you will still have a very authentic curry house style base sauce.

      Cheers,
      Dan

      Reply
  98. Phill says

    May 13, 2017 at 3:48 pm

    Hi Dan,

    Just bought your hard back book now and it looks like the ingredients are different between this page and your book. Which should I be following? I have 12 onions so was going to do the above, the book looks to use smaller amount of onions but with more spices.

    Thanks,

    Phill

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      May 13, 2017 at 5:22 pm

      Hi Phill

      Thank you very much for purchasing my book. To be honest, both are very authentic. Base sauces vary from restaurant to restaurant. I’ve seen some chefs prepare a base sauce with nothing but onions, oil and water. When you consider how much water is added, the small amount of spices added only flavours the sauce a little which is why it is quite bland. The real magic happens when you add the base sauce to other ingredients to make the individual curries. Hope this helps. Thanks, Dan

      Reply
      • Phill says

        May 16, 2017 at 11:39 am

        Thank you Dan! Amazing getting a response from the author, I am extrememly impressed!

        I have now made my large batch, going off the website version and am going to look at doing some currys this week. I had to bag the base though and freeze it, whats the best way to do defrost, would boil in bag work a bit and then in to a fresh pan? Sorry quite new to proper cooking and it made sense to start with something i love eating….Curry!

        If i made a dopiaza, could i do away with the onion sauce and use more of the base? It looks like the ingrediants are somewhat similar.

        Thanks you again! So happy with the purchase and i look forward to other printed versions.

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          May 25, 2017 at 7:47 am

          Thank you very much Phill – I’m really glad you are enjoying my recipes. RE defrosting, I usually just take the sauce out in the morning and let it defrost for the evening. Your way will work just fine though! The answer to the dopiaza question is yes! The ingredients are similar. Just use my recipes as guides and your really can’t go wrong. If you use the freshest ingredients you can find to begin with, the end result should almost always be really good!

          Thanks,
          Dan

          Reply
  99. Kevin says

    May 15, 2017 at 2:47 pm

    After hearing you on the Chris Evans breakfast show last week, have made Chicken Madras, and Garlic Chilli chicken, fantastic, what can I say except your book will be number 1 cooking choice in our household.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      May 25, 2017 at 7:43 am

      Thank you very much Kevin! Much appreciated. I hope you continue to enjoy the book and recipes. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  100. Fouzia Ali says

    May 25, 2017 at 6:05 pm

    Hi Dan, I have just bought your book and made the base sauce. As I don’t like to use plastic containers I have made the large batch sauce and without diluting transferred to glass containers of 400 ml capacity to freeze, as i only had six of those. However I have realised that when you add the water to the sauce to bring it to the consistency of full fat milk, as you recommend, it will be at least 3 times its volume. So now I will end up with an overflowing quantity of base sauce every time I defrost a jar. I only intend to make one curry for 4 people at a time. What am I going to do with so much base sauce!!! Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      May 31, 2017 at 11:32 am

      Hi Fouzia

      I normally freeze the sauce before adding the water. It saves a lot of freezer space. Then when I cook the different curries I add the water to the base sauce. If you have already added the water, you can always cook it down again. It won’t hurt and might actually be better. I hope this helps. Thank you very much for purchasing my book.

      Dan

      Reply
  101. Ann says

    June 12, 2017 at 4:25 pm

    The ground fenugreek, is that ground leaves, or ground seeds? What are the other names this is sold under? I can’t find this in my supermarket so I’m going to have to buy it at an Indian/Pakistani shop, what name should I be looking for (Hindi/Urdu)?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      June 14, 2017 at 10:08 am

      Hi Ann – Try looking for ‘methi’

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  102. David says

    June 28, 2017 at 4:38 pm

    Hi Dan, I’ve bought your book and I have a query regarding the quantity of the ingredients for the Base Curry Sauce large and small batches as the differences are not always proportional. The quantity of the small batch is about 1/3 to nearly 1/2 of the large batch, but the quantity of most of the ground spices is 15 times greater for the large batch. I appreciate your quantities should be viewed as a guide, but as this does seem quite a significant difference, is it a mistake or is it correct? Thank you very much

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      June 30, 2017 at 8:30 pm

      Hi David – Thank you for getting in touch. The recipes are correct. In fact they are two different recipes. I have learned so many different base curry sauce recipes over the years because each chef makes it different. One thing that is almost always the same is the amount of onions. It is essentially an onion stock with a few other veggies and spices thrown in. I’ve even seen one chef make his base stock with nothing more than onions, water and oil. He used the rather bland sauce in his curries but he also spiced his curries well so it was all he needed. If you want to make a small batch without a pressure cooker though, I recommend halving the large batch. I hope this helps. Good luck with it. Dan

      Reply
  103. Christian says

    July 2, 2017 at 8:26 am

    Hello Dan,
    I bought your book and cooked the curry base sauce (large batch) yesterday with half of the ingredients.
    I followed instructions very closely and used ingredients I bought a day before.
    It smelled and looked promising, as on your pics.
    However, when I tasted it there is a strong bitter taste. I wonder where it comes from.
    I checked all vegetables which are ok and not bitter. Also nothing was burned while frying.
    Maybe garlic ginger don’t like to be mixed? Or is it a problem that I pureed everything 1min with a heavy duty mixer?
    Also the Chicken Korma I cooked with the curry base was bitter aka very herb so uneatable/unenjoyable.
    Any other ideas/assumptions?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 8, 2017 at 9:42 am

      Hi Christian

      Thanks for getting in touch. The korma is one of the most popular recipes from my book. I cook it at most of my demos. If it was bitter, you should add a little more sugar. Some people like their kormas really sweet so that might help. I think what you are tasting is the fenugreek. It is bitter and some people don’t like it. Try making it next time without the fenugreek and see if it is better. Another thing you should do it try and taste cumin on it’s own. That might also be the problem. I hope this helps. With a little experimentation, you will get it just right.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
      • Christian says

        July 13, 2017 at 3:18 pm

        Ok, thanks. I will reduce the fenugreek.

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          July 14, 2017 at 7:49 pm

          Hi Christian

          That’s great. With a little experimentation, you’ll get there!

          Dan

          Reply
  104. matthew dale says

    July 17, 2017 at 4:53 pm

    Hi there, can I ask why the turmeric is added to the ghee before both been added to the stock sauce? Instead just adding directly in with the rest of spices.

    Thanks
    Matthew

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 17, 2017 at 5:04 pm

      Hi Matthew

      Both methods are fine. In fact in my printed cookbook that is how it is done. Darkening the turmeric in the ghee gives a darker colour. It isn’t necessary and I rarely do it these days.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  105. Jimmy says

    July 22, 2017 at 2:49 pm

    Making a vegan version of this recipe using soy-meat. Hope it will do the trick!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 29, 2017 at 6:42 am

      Hi Jimmy

      I’d love to hear how it goes. Thanks, Dan

      Reply
  106. Mark Burton says

    August 11, 2017 at 9:42 am

    I’ve just made the sauce for the first time and on tasting it the tumeric seems to be overpowering everything else. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 17, 2017 at 10:04 pm

      Hi Mark

      That will be a personal thing. If you find that the turmeric is overpowering, just reduce it next time. Many of the curries call for turmeric so you can leave it out. I hope this helps.

      Dan

      Reply
  107. Tony Sissons says

    August 25, 2017 at 9:52 am

    Hi Dan, watched you make a large batch of the base sauce in the tutorial video above and then read your written instructions below. In the video, after completing the cooking and blending, you remove half of the sauce and freeze for later and the replace it by adding the same amount of water in order to make a more diluted sauce. However, in your written instructions, you do not seem to dilute with water. Maybe I have read your instructions incorrectly – not sure. Please can you advise. Thanks for your great work, Tony.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      August 27, 2017 at 9:59 am

      Hi Tony

      You got it right. The video is much more recent. I do dilute the sauce now. I just haven’t had time to amend yet. Thanks, Dan

      Reply
  108. Richard says

    August 25, 2017 at 6:00 pm

    Hi Dan, recently bought the book and am looking forward to making lots of dishes from it, however, just now I am working on the basics. I have just blended a large batch of the curry sauce and in the title text it says will make about 6 liters but further down the page it says 3 liters and that the sauce should be quite thick for storing, I have about 6 liters after blending, should I be reducing it down to 3 liters now?
    Thanks, Richard

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      August 27, 2017 at 9:58 am

      Hi Richard

      Sorry for the late reply and thank you very much for purchasing my book. The base sauce recipe makes about 3 litres of thick base sauce. In order to use it, however, you need to add about (and this is approximate) three more litres of water. You want the sauce to be about the same consistency as full fat milk before using in your curries. When I make a large batch, I usually freeze some of the thick sauce to save freezer space and then add water when I use it. Hope this helps.

      Dan

      Reply
      • Mike says

        March 4, 2018 at 11:42 am

        Hi Dan, I got your book last week and have already made Chicken Korma for the kids but using a curry base I had in the freezer from another recipe – it was great, clean plates all round!

        I made the large batch yesterday but, just like Richard above, I’ve got the same question. I followed the recipe exactly and ended up with 6 litres of sauce not 3 litres – how did you go from a pan full of 6 litres of sauce down to 3? Did you reduce it down by simmering for a few hours without the lid on, or what?

        Also, and I know you’ll probably say it doesn’t matter(!), but which base sauce method do you prefer using – the one in the video or the one in the book??

        Looking forward to making the Chicken Dhansak – keep up the good work!!

        Thanks – Mike

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          March 6, 2018 at 12:29 pm

          Hi Mike

          Thank you for picking up my book. The book instructions are correct. Sorry, but my blog is in need of some work as my recipes have changed.
          With this recipe, you should end up with about 3 litres of thick sauce. You can freeze it at this stage to save freezer space. If using immediately, you want to add water or stock to the blended sauce until it is the same consistency as full fat milk. This will get you roughly six litres of sauce give or take some.

          Hope this helps,
          Dan

          Reply
        • Dean says

          December 1, 2018 at 1:20 am

          Hi Dan,

          I’ve just made a big batch and also end up with 6 litres at the end. I’ve seen a few small molar posts and was wondering if you could suggest where we might be differing from your approach where you end up,with 3 litres of thick sauce? I am struggling to see how 750ml oil, 3 litres of water and 2kg of onions could end up as 3 litres of sauce over a 75 minute period over a simmer? Am I missing something?

          Reply
          • Dan Toombs says

            December 1, 2018 at 8:21 am

            Hi Dean

            In this recipe (which I do need to find time to update) you should end up with about 6 litres of sauce just like you did. The pot I’m using in those pics is a 6 litre pot. As in my book, you add the water and vegetables. The oil is used but can be skimmed off. Add water or stock at the end until your sauce is the same consistency as full fat milk. You really can’t go wrong. Even if it is too thick, it will still work well. Hope this helps.
            Dan

  109. Jwiltz says

    September 4, 2017 at 8:55 pm

    This is so delicious. Cooking it made me hunger. It smelled so divine! After I packed up the sauce, I could not help myself from licking out the pan, blender, bowl, and spoon. Even without the salt, it was yummy.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      September 7, 2017 at 9:24 am

      Thank you! Now just use it to make a few curries and it will be even better. Promise.

      Cheers,
      Dan

      Reply
  110. Jo R says

    October 3, 2017 at 6:25 pm

    Hi Dan. Just purchased your book and can’t wait to start cooking. Page 22 and 23 have the recipes for the Base sauce, however the small batch is not proportionate to the large batch. Eg 10 times the carrots in the double size batch. The sauce recipe on this website lacks a lot of the spices so we’d prefer to use the one in the book, plus we only need to make the smaller batch. Any advice greatly received!
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 17, 2017 at 10:44 pm

      Hi Jo

      Thank you very much for purchasing my book. The small and large recipes are different to each other but both are authentic curry house recipes. When I want to make a small batch without a pressure cooker, I just halve or even quarter the large recipe.

      Hope this helps.
      Dan

      Reply
  111. Mikael says

    October 8, 2017 at 12:20 pm

    Hi Dan,
    I tried a few of the currys here and they turned out great but now I’m out of base sauce. 🙂
    I thought I’d try the updated recipe in the video but have a question about the amount of spices, old recipe says 1tbsp whereas the video says 3tbsp. Is it correct that the amount is increased 3 times in the updated recipe?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 13, 2017 at 8:17 am

      Hi Mikael

      It’s correct. I change my recipes from time to time. The additional spices don’t add much to the flavour as the stock is so diluted. They simply add more colour and a hint of additional flavour.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  112. Sue says

    October 14, 2017 at 1:25 am

    Hi could you please tell me what litre size stock pot i would need to make the large batch of curry base sauce.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 17, 2017 at 9:46 pm

      A six litre pot will do perfectly. You could also use a three litre pot.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  113. Dave says

    November 6, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    Can u leave out onions as I hate them

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 5, 2018 at 7:06 pm

      Hi Dave

      If you hate onions, I would definitely leave them out. 🙂 You won’t have much sauce though.

      Dan

      Reply
  114. Michael says

    November 15, 2017 at 4:10 pm

    For a really creamy thick gravy sauce I use a vegetable similar to pumpkin or squash (abóbora), peeled cut up and cooked with carrot. Add to the ingredients in Dan´s recipe before blending. The resulting sauce is really special.

    Reply
  115. Lawrence says

    January 4, 2018 at 8:25 pm

    Hi Dan. Is there a lnk to click on for your Soked Curry Powder recipe? I cant seem to find it on the site.
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 9, 2018 at 6:00 pm

      Hi Lawrence. Sorry, that is an old post. The company that was making my smoked curry powder no longer does. You can use any good quality curry powder.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  116. Kenny says

    January 15, 2018 at 4:28 pm

    Hi Dan,
    I’ve just purchased your latest book; looks great by the way, and have just made my first batch of base sauce. I’ve taken your advice and dumped all my old spices and replaced them with fresh but I do have one question though. According to your book, the base sauce recipe makes 3 litres of thick sauce which is then watered down to make approximately 6 litres (24 servings), ie: 250ml per serving, but many of your recipes however suggests 500ml of sauce makes 4 servings which equates to 125ml per serving. My question is this, when following the Pasanda recipe for instance, should I use 500ml of the thicker sauce then add the water or 500ml after the sauce is thinned down?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 5, 2018 at 6:56 pm

      Hi Kenny

      Thank you very much. When adding the base sauce to curries, you want to use the diluted sauce. The amount of sauce you add is just suggested. You might want to add more sauce and play around with the spices. Think of the recipes as guides but consider the curries yours to do with what you want. 🙂

      Thank you,
      Dan

      Reply
  117. Jules says

    February 19, 2018 at 3:03 am

    If I wanted to make a very large quantity of this base sauce do I just double of triple all of the ingredients ?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 24, 2018 at 10:30 am

      Hi Jules

      That will work. Thanks, Dan

      Reply
  118. Ben says

    April 18, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    Hi Dan, I have made this a few times now. Looks how it’ should.

    My question was this:
    I make a large batch (20odd servings) and I’m only using 1/10 of that on the night (2 servings) so I freeze the other 18 servings.

    I now take a base curry out of the freezer (they’re in 500ml batches) to make let’s say a madras. Excellent, all good. But I live in a house of two. And the recipe is for four people. So by the end I have two curries left.

    Can I now freeze this madras? Or does it need to be eaten first time as the original base has already been frozen?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 27, 2018 at 7:35 am

      Hi Ben

      Thanks for getting in touch. There are a lot of people that say not to refreeze things because it affects the flavour. The thing is, there isn’t much flavour in the base anyway. I make curries all the time with defrosted base sauce and then freeze them with excellent results.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
      • Ben says

        April 29, 2018 at 10:04 am

        Spot on the exactly what I needed to know. Thanks Dan

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          April 30, 2018 at 6:18 am

          Great to hear Ben. Thank you.

          Dan

          Reply
  119. Rafal Markowicz says

    May 15, 2018 at 2:16 pm

    Hi Dan,
    I got your book “The Curry Guy” and the recipe for Base Curry Sauce is a little bit different from the one above, especially when it comes to individual spices ammount. Is any of them superior to other, or the book version is just the latest result of experiments ?
    Regards
    Rafal

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 21, 2019 at 2:10 pm

      Hi Rafal

      Thanks for getting in touch. The book version is the base sauce I make most often. Neither is superior to the other. I have experimented with so many base sauce recipes but they are all quite similar when used in the curries.
      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  120. Dean Spurr says

    August 7, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    Hi there Dan,

    I bought the Book (having made some great curries from your website before), but am now a bit confused about the base-sauce recipe as there seems to be a lot of difference. The main difference being this recipe say 1 Tbsp of all the main dried ingredients, while the book says 3 Tbsp of most of them.

    Because I have used the above with success, I am loathed to change it in some ways. What would you advise using?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      August 27, 2018 at 11:14 am

      Hi Dean

      Thank you for picking up my book. These are two different recipes but both very authentic curry house base sauces. When you consider how many servings it makes, the additional spices listed in the book really don’t make a big difference in the flavour. I have seen some chefs make a base sauce with nothing but onions, oil and water. The one in my book is one of my favourites.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  121. Matthew Trow says

    August 9, 2018 at 5:23 pm

    The only questions I have, as I’ve made a number of curry sauces, are:

    1. about the tomatoes.

    I’m headed for a glut of tomatoes this year, due to the hot summer, which should be great for sauce.

    The question is whether it’s best to slightly par boil the tomatoes, dump them in ice water and remove the skins.
    Even though the sauce is pureed, I guess it would be easier if there’s no tomato skins involved?

    Not really sure what difference it would have flavour wise.

    2. About the spices

    A few times, I’ve ended up with a more bitter taste than a good curry house sauce and I’ve failed to track down exactly what was causing this.
    I initially thought it could be the ginger – maybe not fresh enough?
    Then I noted a strong hint of coriander powder and thought it could be that, so adjusted to suit, but fairly often, I still get a bitter hit.
    It’s not horrible, but it just isn’t as sweet as a good curry house.

    I totally get that the onion, garlic, spices and especially ghee should never go past light brown, it’s not that.

    It’s driving me mad trying to figure out exactly where the bitter flavour hint is coming from – which spice is giving that note to the sauce.

    Note: I haven’t tried your curry sauce yet, bookmarked for a beef curry I’ll be making this weekend, I’ll update if it’s a hit!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 14, 2019 at 10:18 pm

      Hi Matthew

      If using your own fresh tomatoes, I would do as you said and skin them. With regard to the bitter flavour, this appears to be a problem with only a few people. It will probably be down to one of the spices that you don’t like. The most common spices that give a bitter flavour to some people are cumin, fenugreek and turmeric. Give each of these a try and you will probably find the flavour you don’t like.
      Hope this helps,
      Dan

      Reply
  122. Chris says

    September 27, 2018 at 1:52 pm

    Hi Dan,

    Just bought your book on amazon – fantastic! For the base curry sauce (new version) you say to freeze it in 750ml batches and when making a curry it will need to be doubled with water for the right texture. So in your curry recipes, should i be adding 750 of the base sauce plus 750 water, or 750ml of the water and base mix?

    Chris

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 17, 2019 at 8:34 am

      Hi Chris

      Thank you very much for picking up my book. The sauce you add to the curry is the diluted sauce. It should be about the same consistency as full fat milk. I usually freeze the sauce before adding the additional water/stock to save freezer space.

      Hope this helps,
      Dan

      Reply
  123. Peter Simms says

    October 3, 2018 at 12:22 pm

    Hi Dan,

    I haven’t tried any yet but the recipes on your site look fantastic. I am going to start with the base gravy but I was wondering about the difference in oil between the video and the written recipes. In the video you use 750 ml whereas in the written version only 250 ml. Is the increased amount to allow for skimming seasoned oil from the top to be used later?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 17, 2019 at 8:38 am

      Hi Peter

      Exactly! You could make the base sauce with less oil but I like having the seasoned oil on hand.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  124. Nick says

    October 31, 2018 at 9:03 am

    Hi Dan, Just made the base last night, which was as you say nice and easy,and ended up with 4 lots of 750 ml portions, looking at one of the comments above you say it should make 8 portions. Should I have added more water?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 14, 2019 at 9:34 pm

      Hi Nick

      It’s really just approximate. It depends a lot on how hot your pan is when cooking. The base sauce should be about the same consistency as full fat milk. If yours wasn’t then more water was needed.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  125. Michael Hoyle says

    November 11, 2018 at 5:50 pm

    Hi Dan,
    Just found your website, my wife and I have been making curries for a few years now but none of them have given us the taste we love from our favourite restaurants.

    Reading through your recipes and the comments it would seem I’ve found curry nirvana. So I’ll be starting with a batch of basic sauce tomorrow and it looks like your books will be on my Christmas list this year.

    Now the question:
    I’m not a fan of many of the veg oils and ghee after reading (probably too much) about them, so I’ve been using (so far successfully) what I believe to be the healthier option of cold pressed coconut oil in many of my recipes.

    Have you ever used or would you use, coconut oil as a replacement for the fats in your recipes, I’d be interested in your opinion.

    Thanks
    Mick.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 17, 2019 at 8:21 am

      Hi Michael

      Thanks for stopping by. The debate is still out about whether coconut oil is good for you or not. One nutritionist will say no and another yes. I use rapeseed oil as I personally believe it is the best out there but I also like to use coconut oil from time to time especially with southern Indian cooking.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  126. David Smith says

    November 20, 2018 at 1:55 pm

    Hi Dan,

    I made a batch of your base sauce and I think something went wrong. I followed your recipe to a T (from the video) and everything looked correct. The base tastes mostly bland which is what I expected. However, there is also a very bitter taste that seems to permeate any other curry I make with the base, making the sauce quite unpleasant. I’m looking for ideas as to what may have gone wrong. I’ll have to throw this batch out and start again..

    Any ideas?

    Thank you

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 24, 2018 at 6:42 pm

      Hi David

      The base sauce shouldn’t be bitter at all! Did you roast your spices. If you burnt the cumin it can become bitter. Another ingredient that might be making it bitter for you is the fenugreek. Try making the base without fenugreek next time and see if that helps. Some people find it very bitter.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  127. Jeremy says

    November 24, 2018 at 8:27 pm

    Made the Chicken Madras today, first attempt at making a bir style curry. The result was easily on a par with my favourite local curry House, thanks for sharing the knowledge !

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 29, 2018 at 1:49 pm

      Great to hear Jeremy. Thank you very much.

      Dan

      Reply
  128. SIMON says

    December 15, 2018 at 2:59 pm

    Hi there,
    Going to give this a try tomorrow.
    Can you help ?
    I am making this to accommodate say 50 servings for a buffet so can you recommend advice for upscaling ?

    Many thanks

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 14, 2019 at 9:29 pm

      Hi Simon – Sorry for the late reply. I very behind at the moment. Hope you got it sorted. You can easily double, triple etc. the recipe. Hope it went well.

      Dan

      Reply
  129. Chris says

    January 2, 2019 at 2:55 pm

    Hi Dan,

    Just bought your book on amazon . For the base curry sauce (new version) you say to freeze it in batches and when making a curry it will need to be doubled with water for the right texture.

    So in your curry recipes where you say for example to add 500ml base curry sauce – at should i be adding this plus another 500ml water, or should i be adding 250ml base sauce plus 250ml water?

    Chris

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 8, 2019 at 9:02 am

      Hi Chris

      Thanks for buying my book. You add the diluted sauce to curries. If I am freezing the base sauce, I don’t add water or stock. I just freeze the thicker sauce to save freezer space. The sauce you add to the curries should be watered down with water or stock so that it is the same consistency as full fat milk. It reduces down quickly.

      Hope this helps.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  130. Matt says

    January 13, 2019 at 5:57 am

    Hi Dan, I’ve done two of your recipes twice now (chicken tikka and rogan josh) with great results. However, in both runs this base sauce has come out quite lumpy and viscous, even after a significant blitz in the food processor. Is there something I can do to get a smoother texture? (PS the star rating system on my browser doesnt seem to work- so 5stars!!)

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 14, 2019 at 1:57 pm

      Thanks Matt – It’s really down to how long you blitz and how good your blender is. It shouldn’t be lumpy at all so blend it longer. With my old blender, I blended for about four minutes. With my new blender – a smoothy version – it takes about 30 seconds.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  131. Mick says

    March 18, 2019 at 7:00 pm

    Video says 750ml oil but recipe calls for 250ml? Which is the correct amount thanks.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 19, 2019 at 7:23 am

      Hi Mick

      They are both right. In the video, I used a lot and then skimmed it off to use as seasoned oil for my curries and other dishes. In the written recipe, I just used less because I didn’t have time to do all that skimming.

      Hope this helps.
      Dan

      Reply
  132. Mike Parr says

    April 6, 2019 at 12:25 pm

    Dear Dan, well your blog is certainly a pleasant place to visit. I have just finished making the small batch curry base . I have not even used any of it yet and realized I couldn’t live any longer without buying a copy of your book. I plan on having “Date night with Dan” at least once a week… Very grateful for all of the hard work you put into this.
    Best wishes
    Mike in Ottawa, Canada.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 9, 2019 at 5:48 am

      Hi Mike

      That’s great to hear! Thank you very much.

      Dan

      Reply
  133. Kam says

    May 5, 2019 at 7:41 am

    Hi Dan

    Recipe looks great – how does this go from base curry sauce to a madras?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      May 29, 2019 at 12:56 pm

      Hi Kam

      Thanks. Look at the introduction to the recipe. There is a link to my Madras recipe which uses the base sauce.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  134. Johnny C says

    January 21, 2020 at 4:50 pm

    I used to make batches of base gravy in a similar way, using Pat Chapman’s recipe. I seem to remember his used mustard oil. It had a quite unpleasant taste when freshly cooked, but after a week in the freezer it transformed to a declicious base. I used to pour it into ice cube trays to freeze, then add 2 cubes per person for a curry.

    Sadly, after I blitzed it in a blender without the lid and had to repaint the kitchen wall, I got banned from making it.,

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 21, 2020 at 6:26 pm

      Bad luck. I think my wife would ban me from the kitchen if I did that too! I like the mustard oil idea. Never seen that done at any of the restaurants I have gone too but they do use a lot of mustard oil in different curries.

      Reply
  135. Stephanie says

    February 10, 2020 at 8:27 am

    How would I make coconut curry from the base sauce? Just add coconut milk or cream? What is your suggestion or recipe. It’s my favorite Indian restaurant dish. Now that I moved away from LA I can’t go to the Clay Oven on Ventura Blvd …. so making a big batch of sauce is an awesome solution. I’m so excited to make this. I’ve tried other recipes but they haven’t hit the spot.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 10, 2020 at 8:58 am

      Hi Stephanie

      Thanks for getting in touch. I recommend trying the chicken korma. There is a link to it on my home page. It is mild. I like my curries a bit spicier so I add fresh chillies to taste.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
      • Stephanie says

        March 28, 2020 at 11:50 pm

        Hi Dan,

        I made the curry base last night and then the chicken Korma you recommended and I love it. Thank you so much. I have three portions of base in the freezer sand two to try another recipe tonight! I would like to buy one of your books and have the red book in my Amazon cart. Do one of your cookbooks have a Chicken Coconut Curry recipe?

        Thank you again.

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          April 1, 2020 at 12:35 pm

          Hi Stephanie

          Thank you very much. There is a chicken korma in the red book. The mild curry house version. At home, I add chillies to it as I like my curries spicier. The great thing about the recipes in the books is that they really can be used as guides. If it sounds like coconut milk will be nice in it, add some. 🙂

          Thanks,
          Dan

          Reply
  136. Steve says

    February 13, 2020 at 7:31 pm

    You have tablespoons of spices, you mean teaspoons right ?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 18, 2020 at 5:22 am

      Hi Steve

      Go for teaspoons if you like. I use tablespoons but all of my recipes should be done to taste. Use them as guides.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
    • Stephanie says

      March 28, 2020 at 11:52 pm

      This recipe is a huge batch and tablespoons make sense… if you use teaspoons the flavor will be weak in my opinion.

      Reply
      • Dan Toombs says

        April 1, 2020 at 12:20 pm

        Hi Stephanie

        Great you have adapted the recipe to your own tastes. Go for it.

        Thanks,
        Dan

        Reply
  137. Shaun says

    March 31, 2020 at 9:44 pm

    Hi dan, I am going to attempt to make your sauce and the garlic chilli chicken today, I’m looking forward to it, I am wondering if chicken Balti can be made with your base sauce? And if so do you have a recipe for balti? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 1, 2020 at 12:16 pm

      Hi Shaun

      Thank you. Halve the recipe and cook it in a really hot authentic Balti bowl. Voila, you have the Balti version. So you can use the base sauce for a Balti. Baltis are drying curries so that you can scoop the up with naans. So reduce it down to your desired consistency. Hope this helps. Dan

      Reply
  138. Gene says

    April 13, 2020 at 11:10 am

    Hi Dan

    I’ve made your base, and want to try it with Crab. What variation would best work, as I can’t find a direct link to seafood or crab.

    Thanks!
    Gene

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 14, 2020 at 12:48 pm

      Hi Gene
      Use the base sauce to make any of the curry house sauces but rather than adding any of the ingredients suggested use crab instaed.
      If it sounds good it will be 🙂
      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  139. Linda says

    April 18, 2020 at 9:41 am

    I would Make the meatversion on one day and the next day the veggie with papadums or chickpea-salade.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 21, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      Hi Linda

      Sounds like a great plan. Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  140. mandi delaney says

    April 20, 2020 at 5:36 pm

    so far with the base curry sauce i have made chicken tikka masala, jalfezi, balti and dansak and absolutely love them all and i cant wait to try the chicken chilli and garlic tomorrow!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 21, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      Hi Mandi

      That’s great to hear. Thank you very much. I’m really happy you are enjoying the recipes.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
      • Steve says

        April 22, 2020 at 1:48 am

        Great recipe and tried it for the first time last week for family in lockdown. @thecurryguy

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          April 23, 2020 at 11:51 am

          Hi Steve
          That’s great, I’m glad you enjoyed it.
          Thanks
          Dan

          Reply
  141. paul says

    April 22, 2020 at 2:56 pm

    Hi Dan,
    I’m just knocking up a beef Sri Lankan stylie curry from last weeks Roast beef .
    I followed a recipe (not ours – sorry – yet! which added a litre of water.

    This seems really bland – and i just found your base recipe.
    I’m assuming I would swap your curry base sauce and swap it in got the water – to create even more taste.

    Wish I’d made this 30 mionutes ago.

    Cheers
    Paul

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 23, 2020 at 11:49 am

      Hi Paul
      Thanks for the message and yes I would suggest using my base curry sauce instead of water to give it more flavour.
      Dan

      Reply
  142. kai says

    May 30, 2020 at 6:29 pm

    How much does this make?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      May 31, 2020 at 11:57 am

      Hi
      This makes very approximately 3 litres of curry base sauce.
      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  143. weiße Küchenmischbatterie says

    June 8, 2020 at 4:26 am

    exciting blog. I will follow you.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      June 10, 2020 at 12:07 pm

      Hi
      Thanks very much.
      Dan

      Reply
  144. Louise says

    June 26, 2020 at 1:55 pm

    Just made this, I bought your book , have to say, it’s perfect! Thank you for sharing these great recipes. I’m about to cook some chicken tikka next which I’ve made once before, and it’s fantastic! Cheers!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 3, 2020 at 11:40 am

      Hi Louise
      Thanks very much for your support.
      Dan

      Reply
  145. gullkran með útdráttarslöngu says

    June 27, 2020 at 10:37 am

    It turns out that what I have been looking for so far is in this paper, I am very happy to find several articles on this blog, I am interested in your sentence above, very opinion building in my opinion, why? because you wrote it in language that is easy to understand.. I like the way you describe it. Perfect!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 3, 2020 at 11:39 am

      Thanks very much, good to hear.
      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  146. schwarzes Becken says

    July 10, 2020 at 9:30 am

    I found something new on this website, some of my opinions agree with that, I just want to ask for one brief opinion or tips on the article or a few sentences above and I’m sure you are more skilled in making concise conclusions and concise for that.. I found good posts here. I love the way you write. So perfect!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 21, 2020 at 10:35 am

      Thanks very much for the kind words.
      Dan

      Reply
  147. messing zeepdispenser says

    July 30, 2020 at 12:42 am

    Your information is very interesting. Thank you for sharing

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 31, 2020 at 4:37 pm

      Good to hear.
      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      August 10, 2020 at 6:46 am

      Great to hear.
      Thanks very much
      Dan

      Reply
  148. tyron says

    October 9, 2020 at 2:20 pm

    Just made the base sauce smells and tastes great

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 18, 2020 at 9:51 am

      Hi
      Great to hear, hope you enjoyed it.
      Dan

      Reply
  149. Benjamin Jameson says

    October 21, 2020 at 8:59 am

    Hi,

    I was just wondering why the turmeric is added after the blending process unlike the other spices?

    I used this recipe for a jalfrezi and it was the best curry I ever made. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 21, 2020 at 12:41 pm

      You can add the turmeric with the other spices if you like. As it is quite powerful I often add it at the end to taste so you don’t overpower the sauce with it.
      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  150. Lauren says

    November 14, 2020 at 9:35 pm

    THANK YOU! I’ve been trying to make restaurant style curry for over 10 years and finally succeeded after trying your recipes tonight.

    I was wondering if many of the recipes in your Veggie book use this base?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 18, 2020 at 10:47 am

      Hi Lauren
      A few of the recipes in my veggie book use the base sauce but many don’t.
      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  151. Tony says

    November 17, 2020 at 1:08 pm

    Finally, Just give this a go, I did the Korma and Madras for first time, did chicken in stock that is listed ( defo recommend ) the end result was amazing, do not think to much into it Just follow guide the only thing I would say is dont be afraid to add water or stock, when you make your curry in the final steps it will thicken as it reduces, defo going to buy books and try out more recipes… BIG Thank you been trying years to get this right amd now I finally have..

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      November 18, 2020 at 10:40 am

      Great to hear, thanks very much.
      Dan

      Reply
  152. Mick Eastley says

    December 8, 2020 at 8:11 pm

    Hi Dan, if have a moment perhaps you can enlighten me, I read somewhere on the site you said you had produced this base sauce in a vitamix blender, how? I used your packet mix last weekend to make a Chicken Korma, my family want much more of so need to get the sauce made the proper way! Any thoughts? Your books are an absolute treasure, after the Thai adventure, how about taking a look at Nepal?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      December 12, 2020 at 5:59 pm

      If you look at my Instagram page – The Curry Guy and go to my stories at the top you will see how I make the base sauce in the Vitamix, it certainly makes things very easy!
      I am really glad you are enjoying my books and yes one day I would love to go to Nepal.
      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  153. Rob Greenfield says

    January 9, 2021 at 5:29 pm

    Hi Dan.
    just ordered your book from amazon so looking forward to making some currys from your recipes.
    Just one thing. I couldn’t get fenugreek powder for the base curry sauce.
    can I sub for dried leaf?? If so what quantity would you suggest to replace 1 tbsp in recipe?
    (I’ve read powder is much stronger then leaf)
    rgds
    Rob

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 11, 2021 at 9:36 am

      Yes, That would be fine. Add 1 tspn then add more to taste if necessary.
      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  154. Vanitha Francis says

    January 18, 2021 at 1:31 am

    What is the point of using cabbage and carrots. Here in india , when we make it from scratch there is no cabbage or carrots. Will it not change the flavor. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 18, 2021 at 1:46 pm

      It doesn’t change the flavour but leave those 2 ingredients out if you don’t like the sound of it.
      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply

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